KaBOOM! University of Play! Graduates a New Class of Community PlaySpace Builders
On October 27 - 29, 2005 almost 200 play advocates from across the United States and Canada convened in Foster City, CA for the KaBOOM! University of Play! (U Play!). The diverse U Play! student body represented community-based organizations, national nonprofit organizations, schools, daycare centers, play equipment manufacturers, municipalities, and other passionate parents and citizens.
In addition to leaving with a wealth of knowledge on topics such as playspace design, maintenance, fundraising, public relations, and grassroots community-organizing, U Play! participants left the training with new friends as well as the inspiration and confidence needed to make their playspace dreams a reality.
Highlights from U Play! were plentiful, and here are just a few of them:
KaBOOM! Co-Founder and CEO Darell Hammond kicked off U Play! with an inspiring welcome and an invitation to everyone to join the KaBOOM! movement for great playspaces and stronger communities.
Dr John "Jody" Kretzmann from the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University's Institue for Policy Research presented the U Play! keynote address in which he poignantly demonstrated why community assets are key building blocks in sustainable urban and rural community revitalization efforts.
KaBOOM! unveiled the new Online Web Portal, which for the next few months will be accessible exclusively to U Play! graduates. The KaBOOM! Online Web Portal is a window to a variety of resources developed by KaBOOM! as well as to discussions, debates, tips, and best practices contributed by playspace project organizers from across North America. All U Play! participants had the chance to register for the Web Portal at U Play! and almost 90% of particpants took advantage of that opportunity!
KaBOOM! Senior Strategy Advisor Tony Deifell facilitated a session that weaved together solid research as well as personal anecdotes from U Play! participants and KaBOOM! staff to tell a story of "Why Play Matters."
The "How'd They Do It" Q&A Session with Experienced Project Leaders" panel brought together five individuals who led successful community-build playspace projects in their own communities and allowed them to share their project successes, challenges and insights. Panelists included Dave Bachman from the Manistee Skatepark Project in Manistee, MI; Cynthia Gentry from the Cunard Memorial Playground Project in Atlanta, GA; Melanie Barnes, from the Connecting Kids Playground Project in Keller, TX; and Tara Dew from Franklin Academy Playground Project in Wake Forest, NC.
KaBOOM! staff and specially invited speakers led thirteen different workshop sessions for U Play! participants and were reminded that the knowledge and expertise in a classroom derives not only from who's teaching at the front, but from the training participants themselves.
The U Play! Funders Panel composed of Sterling Speirn, President and CEO of the Peninsula Community Foundation and incoming CEO of the Kellogg Foundation, Stephanie Martin, Manager of Community Affairs for The Home Depot's Western Division, and Roger Kaufman, CEO of Ben & Jerry's San Francisco, helped demystify the support that national corporations, foundations, local businesses, and service organizations can provide to a community-build playspace project. Also, Sterling Speirn won the prize hands down for "Best U Play! Costume", by arriving to the Funders Panel dressed for Halloween – with a real carved pumpkin on his head!
The Friday night graduation banquet offered U Play! participants the opportunity to celebrate their success and look forward to the future. Once again, Darell Hammond inspired, challenged and motivated everyone with a memorable commencement address. The evening was capped off with a diploma ceremony during which U Play! grads were bestowed with highly coveted KaBOOM! purple-T's and loads of cheers and admiration from their peers and an ecstatic KaBOOM! staff.
Early Saturday morning, 200 volunteers (most of them U Play! graduates) descended on the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland to build a brightly colored playground, construct planter benches and paint a world map for the children in the community. It was hard to tell who was having more fun – the neighborhood children who had gathered to watch their new playspace being built, the U Play! grads, volunteers from local The Home Depot stores out on their day off to help, or the KaBOOM! staff!
When KaBOOM! asked participants for the most important skill, tool, or idea they learned at U Play!, here are some of the responses that came back:
"It takes a community (not $) to build a playspace."
"The importance of organization and staying on task and realizing that we can realize our vision."
"The need (for) and the healing power of play!"
"It's about building a community and not just a playground."
"I can do it!"
How can we not be proud? As KaBOOM! continues to develop the Online Web Portal and to plan for future trainings and other programs, we look forward to hearing updates on progress made and successes experienced by the amazing class of graduates from the October 2005 KaBOOM! University of Play!.
Believe It. Plan It. Build It.
Questions? Contact us at uplay@kaboom.org!