World at Play :: Our World@Play :: Vancouver@Play

Vancouver @ Play

Mission Statement

Vancouver@Play is a locally active branch of World at Play building upon its ideals and inspirations in bringing the benefits of play to underprivileged children.

Vancouver@Play strives to enhance social and mental development of children through creative play and sport activities in Vancouver, Canada.

Vision

To provide opportunity for disadvantaged children in the Greater Vancouver area to exercise their fundamental right for play, sports and learning through the medium of play.

Implementation

World at Play gave birth to another child when a second local initiative (after Wales@Play) started in January 2006 as a pilot project, when a group of volunteers inspired by potential benefits of sports and play walked though the doors of inner-city Grandview Elementary School (http://grandview.vsb.bc.ca/) in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A dedicated Vancouver@Play Team ran 2-hour sessions of play, games and sports every week, working with as many as 40 and more children at a time. The group of children, ranging in ages from 10 to 13 years, was a little uncertain and hesitant to the idea of having the “big kids” playing games with them, but very soon the children began to enjoy every moment!

It was great to observe how the children’s interaction and perception of games and playing changed and how the group dynamics in a “creative play environment” started to show the fruits in terms of improved group interaction, peer respect, team work and leadership skills. “The games and sports Vancouver@Play has introduced to this group of inner-city children has definitely sparked more interest in playing and games and had positively influenced their behavior and motivation“ was some of the feedback from the local school-leaders. This shows how hard work of Vancouver@Play Team - in terms of preparing, organizing and implementing the sessions - has definitely paid off.

Among the children’s favourite games were parachute games (such as all-time classics of 'Cat and Mouse' and 'Jaws vs. David Hasselhoff'); 'Big-Ball Sumo Wrestling', 'Giants, Wizards and Elves', 'Secret Agent Training Initiatives' and 'Wuu-Tee'. Through these games and others the children had an opportunity to put in practice and develop their physical abilities as much as their social and leadership skills.

Some Interesting Figures:

Vancouver@Play spent 4 months playing with the children at Grandview Elementary
During that period, Vancouver@Play provided more than 30 hours of quality play
As a team Vancouver@Play, volunteered more than 130 hours to productive play
On average, each Vancouver@Play team member devoted around 11.5 hours of play to the benefits of inner-city children.
Vancouver@Play Team introduced play and sports to 50 inner-city children.

Lastly, Vancouver@Play Project had such a positive response from the teachers, local leaders and the V@P Team themselves that it is very likely that Vancouver@Play will be expanding and returning to these inner-city schools.

With Regards,

Ondrej Filip
World at Play Expedition Member 2004
Vancouver@Play Director

Feedback on Vancouver@Play

This is what some of the Vancouver@Play Team Players had to say about the pilot project in their feedback:

Laurel Hogg, Vancouver@Play Volunteer:

“I am leaving Vancouver@Play with a new sense of respect for what children can accomplish when put in a team-like situation. The children we worked with weren't the most disciplined or attentive students we could have had and there were even the ones who acted at first too cool to be a part of the activities. Yet, they seemed to want to work together to win and to encourage one another on. What I found most exciting is that by the end of the Vancouver@Play experience, the students were quieter when we went to talk, waiting for us to explain what games we were going to play. It was like they were excited to have the opportunity to play each week and looked forward to it. I am not trying to make it sound too idealistic, but I found that the last session Catherine and I ran, the students were excited to be there and were even willing to turn to their friend to tell them to be quiet so they could play the games and have fun. It didn't really matter too much what we were playing, they wanted to play and be a part of it. Even the leaders enjoyed the activities!

“I would love to do V@P again and I hope I get the opportunity to do so. I think it
would be great to be able to do it in a second year when I have more of an idea of what works and what doesn't when planning a Session. I also think it would be great to open it up to more schools around Vancouver.”

Rozlyn Jacques, Vancouver@Play Volunteer:

“My favorite game to play with them was Skittles. In this game every kid has a pin that they have to guard without touching it, there are also a few dodge ball balls around which they can use to knock over each others' pins. Once your pin is knocked over you’re out of the game, but since we had so many kids to play this game with we just kept rotating the kids in. It was an all-on-all war, though there were some smart kids who made alliances with each other.”

Mike Ripley, Vancouver@Play Volunteer

“I joined the V@P team because I wanted to be a part of an organization that was designed to help kids who needed it most. When I was growing up I had almost every opportunity to play in various sports and on various teams. That is something that these kids just do not have. I wanted to help them have all the same chances to play and have fun that I was given.

“The project gave me an appreciation for the power of play. “Play” is something that all people of all ages, races, sexes and social and economical backgrounds understand. Its nothing that needs practice, and the only pre-requisite for it is that you have to be young at heart. I have discovered that, through playing, people (in the case of Grandview Children) are given the opportunity to be kids. Being a "kid" is something that not all of the children I worked with have the opportunity to do, but "play" allows them to be just that, and that is a wonderful thing!

“My favourite game is called 'Jaws VS. David Hasselhof'. This is a parachute game where the kids form a circle around the parachute while sitting on the ground. One kid crawls under the parachute (Jaws) and one kid standing on the outside of the circle (David Hasselhof). Each kid in the circle holds onto the parachute and flaps it up and down. Jaws, from under the cover of the parachute, crawls around and tries to pull the seated kids under the parachute by their ankles. It is David Hasselhof's job, as a lifeguard, to run to a kid being pulled under the parachute and try to pull him/her from Jaws' grip. If David Hasselhof is unsuccessful in saving a seated "beach-goer" then the captured child becomes a shark. The game continues until all of the kids around the circle have been taken under the parachute. This can be played with any number of Jaws or David Hasselhofs.

“I hope to remain involved with World at Play for a very long time. For the next year I am willing to do all within my abilities to continue the Vancouver@Play chapter. Because the language of play is international, I hope to be able to eventually bring the experience of World at Play to many more people here at home and world-wide.”