Play and Playwork Around the World

We have been amazed this year at the number of offerings that have been made by people to talk about their experiences of play and playwork in countries around the world. This track sets out to celebrate and learn from our international friends and colleagues.

An original advocacy for play - Meera Patel and Juliett Liebi

The 21st National Playwork Conference will see the UK launch of an original advocacy tool for play, in the form of seven powerful and beautiful art panels, developed by artists with the participation of children in Knysna, South Africa. The panels are a representation of the children's lived experiences of play, the barriers they face, the value of play in their lives and a direct Call to Action from the children to help them access their fundamental right to play. In this session, we will be talking about how these panels and the themes captured within them emerged, the impact it had on the children that inspired the creation of these panels, and how the panels could be used to facilitate more play in children's lives around the world.

TIME: 9:30 - 11:15 LENGTH: 1 hour 45 minutes

The Power of Play: Children on the move - Katie Hall and Rachel Sykes

This session focuses on the experience of working with children and families in transit in northern France, exploring the importance of play for children in situations of displacement, barriers to the right to play in these contexts and challenges for organisations seeking to bridge this gap.

TIME: 11:30 - 12:30 LENGTH: 1 hour

Establishing Playwork in a post-socialist culture -
Nina Krasovec

We will discuss the establishment of an adventure playground in a former socialist culture, or in an environment where the concept of playwork and adventure playground is unknown and needs to be introduced. We will share how we have drawn rich theoretical knowledge from the United Kingdom and Germany, selecting examples of best practices and translating and adapting them to our local environment and culture.

TIME: 12:45 - 13:45 LENGTH: 1 hour

Transylvania at Play - Joan Beattie

TIME: 14:15 - 15:15 LENGTH: 1 hour

Processing Trauma Through Play - Maya Lan