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CHILDHOOD OBESITY


PLAY FOR LIFE Playgrounds are vital to children’s welfare, says Darell Hammond, founder and CEO of KaBOOM!


“The whole city should be a playground. Play should happen everywhere”


What is KaBOOM! and why was it founded? KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organisation in the US, dedicated to saving play for America’s children. Our children are playing less than any previous generation, and this lack of play is causing them profound physical, intellectual, social and emotional harm. Our mission is to create great play


spaces through the participation and leadership of communities. We would like to see a place to play within walking distance of every child in America.


Why are playgrounds so important? Play is the ‘work’ of kids. It’s a way for them to exercise their mind, their body and their wiggles. It’s the way they rationalise the world around them. It’s the way they learn social connections. It’s both very intricate and very simple, and it’s the foundation for a lifelong ability to have relationships, to have health and to live a full life. We therefore need to ensure all kids have access to safe places to play.


How many sites have you built? Although not yet under the KaBOOM! name, the first KaBOOM! playground build took place in October 1995, in Washington, DC. KaBOOM! was officially founded in 1996 and has since raised more than US$200m, rallied a million corporate and community volunteers, led the construction of over 2,600 playgrounds, and inspired a movement for a child’s right to play.


What more can be done? The problem is, we’ve designed kids out of cities. Not enough playspaces are being built, and those that exist are often


Hammond set up KaBOOM! to ‘save play’ for US kids


in disrepair. Fears surrounding lawsuits and safety are trumping common sense, resulting in sterile, uninspiring play environments. Recess is being eliminated from our nation’s schools. Kids are overscheduled, and in their free time many choose to stay indoors, lulled by television, computers and video games. At KaBOOM! we talk about creating


‘playable’ cities, by which we mean cities that take steps to ensure active play becomes the easy choice for every child, every day. People already talk about walkability and bike-ability, but those are generally focused on adults. We want to encourage communities to design family- friendly, child-friendly cities once again.


Are any cities doing it right? We’ve recently set up the Playful City USA programme, in partnership with the Humana Foundation, and this year we’ve recognised 212 cities that we believe are on the right journey. They’re


64 Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


setting bold goals, they’re trying to solve big problems using play as the solution. Chicago, for example, and what the


mayor’s doing there – he’s fi nding the money to build 300 new playgrounds, so there’s one within a seven-minute walk of every person living in Chicago. I’m excited by some of the examples


we’re seeing, but it’s just the start. We need to intensify efforts, recognise best practice and aim for a domino effect whereby more cities adopt family-friendly, child-friendly policies. We get tens of thousands of applications every year for the 200 playgrounds we end up building, so we need other people to join the cause.


What must society as a whole do to reverse the rise in childhood obesity? Cities need to offer amenities that allow families to socialise. Playgrounds are important, but the whole city should be a playground with parks, sidewalks and paths. Play should happen everywhere.


October 2014 © Cybertrek 2014


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