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We have a saying at KaBOOM!, "It only takes a single spark to start a fire" and Cynthia Gentry is that spark in her community of Atlanta, Ga. When in doubt if one person can bring a paradigm shift to an entire community, you only need to look at this advocate extraordinaire to know that it is possible. The following is our inspiring interview with Cynthia.
Q: Why are you an advocate for play? What got you started in this area?
A: My first playground build was more about a community responding to a tragedy than it was about play. Our neighborhood came together in support of a father who lost his entire family in one dreadful moment. My eyes were opened to the joyous power of play by a grief-stricken man who could think of no greater way to honor his lost family than to build a place where children, families and friends could come together to play.
I started the Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP) because I believe that the freedom to play in a beautiful, safe, fun, clean, creative environment is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. The research is there to tell us what we always knew intuitively about how much our kids benefit from play, but the benefits impact the grown-ups involved, too. I’ve seen the sad eyes of parents of children in crisis from Sarajevo to New Orleans brighten at the mere thought of their children laughing joyously.
Part of what keeps me advocating for play is that I get a lot out of it myself. This is one of the most loving things I can do with this life of mine and that makes me feel really, really good. Plus, (this is a secret) what looks like a lot of hard work is actually a whole lot of fun!
Q: You’ve created a task force for children. How did you go about making this happen?
A: In order to learn about what is happening in this field in Atlanta and because I have no interest in doing something that somebody else is already working on, I am putting together a report called “The State of Play in the City of Atlanta.”  As I do my research I am meeting play advocates from across the city; I am finding out about all of the organizations and programs that touch on play in some way; and I’m learning about the ideas and dreams people have. Each person I meet recommends at least one other person I should meet and as I get to know these folks our Taskforce grows.
Q: As a task force, what issues are you focusing on? How are you planning to address those issues?
A: I am particularly interested in creating playspaces that have a unique character and sense of place. I want a child to be able to tell one playground from the next. (“Let’s go to the place with the fire engine!” “I like that sand where I can dig up dinosaurs!” “I like playing in that tree house with the slide!”) Some will contain public art that kids can play on, some will contain water features, some will have gardens, in fact, some may not have any traditional playground equipment at all, but all will be softened by natural elements, all will be inviting to different generations, all will be universally accessible, and all will be a lot of fun.
Q: How are you attempting to engage the community?
A: The Atlanta Taskforce on Play (ATOP) is all about community empowerment. We are using the bulk of the funds we got in our Playful City USA video contest award as seed funds for new playgrounds. Any Atlanta community group who comes together and starts working their way through the KaBOOM! Road Map is applying for an ATOP grant. We hope as word gets out about our 2010 initiative and city-wide play force that new groups will come together in neighborhoods and schools across Atlanta. We are developing a Play Partner Program so that corporations, churches, school groups, and other groups can partner with others to bring play to places where there was none before.
Q: We would love to hear about other initiatives you are doing.
A: We’re pretty excited about this year’s Citywide Play Day. We’re still working on the plan, but one thing we’ll certainly do is have a Citywide Playspace Design Competition. Kids will design their ideal playspace. It doesn’t have to be a traditional playground. The wilder the ideas the better. Then we’ll have a jury select winners from all of the entries all over Atlanta. All of the entries will be posted on the PlayAtlanta.org website.
Congratulations Cynthia on all the amazing work you are doing as a Playmaker!
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