Play is Children’s Work
The Community Coalition for Children…helping children thrive® will present Darell Hammond in two upcoming programs that are free and open to the public. On Monday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. at The Garde Arts Center in New London, his topic will be “Unplugged – Play Matters: giving kids the childhood they need.” His focus will be on what play is, why it is critical, and how parents, educators, and community leaders can foster play. To get in the spirit, come early at 6:30 p.m. to play in the Garde lobby and recapture your childhood delight in unstructured play.
Simultaneous translation in Spanish and sign language will be provided. To register for free child care on site, please call 860-444-4790.
His second program, “Get Up, Get Out, Get Moving!” will focus on middle and high school students from the region, plus interested adults, Tuesday, October 21, from 9: 30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., at the Crozier-Williams Center at Connecticut College. This workshop is structured for small group activity. Building on his introduction to what students need for their physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development, participants will explore how they can incorporate unplugged play into their lives. The CCC plans to build a playground in the region in the spring and hopes the students will return to make community dreams a reality.
Darell Hammond is the founder and chief executive officer of KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to the bold goal of bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, particularly those growing up in poverty in America. His New York Times best selling book, KaBOOM! A Movement to Save Play traces his own childhood experiences at Mooseheart, Illinois, the boarding school run by Moose International for children who have been orphaned or have faced major family challenges. Hammond and his seven siblings were joined by his mother in this supportive environment where play was an integral part of his growing up.
As a young adult working with Youth Service America to build a playground in Washington, DC, he was shocked to learn of the suffocation of a young brother and sister who climbed into a car “on a hot, humid day to play and got locked inside.” The newspaper article noted that there was no playground close by. He knew then that his life’s work had to be building playgrounds and strengthening communities where there were no safe options for children.
Since 1996, KaBOOM! has worked with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,000 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers, and served 7.4 million children. Their partners have been the families in the neighborhoods, plus local and national businesses (such as Ben & Jerry’s, Home Depot, Chrysler, Kraft Foods, players in the NBA, Kimberly-Clark, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Target, and Disney). Luminaries such as Marian Wright Edelman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Colin and Alma Powell, Al and Tipper Gore, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama have participated in KaBOOM! playground builds.
Hammond has been named an Ashoka Fellow and was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Hammond has also earned recognition for his leadership in social entrepreneurship, including the American Express NGEN Leadership Award, the Satter Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Forbes Magazine recognition as one of the Top 30 Social Entrepreneurs.
KaBOOM! not only creates and catalyzes great places to play but also works to empower play advocates and elevate the societal conversation around the importance of why play matters for all kids. Hammond’s motto is that play is children’s work. They design and build their brains and bodies as they explore their world and master its challenges. Adults with play in their lives continue to reap the benefits of recreation, creativity, and wellbeing. So, get up, get out, and get moving!
For further information, visit the coalition website: