FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
() · Cities from across the country will join KaBOOM! for the second annual Playful City USA Leaders Summit in Chicago from October 23-24. The summit, made possible by the Humana Foundation, will convene city leaders from across the country, and from different sectors, to develop innovative solutions to address some of the toughest challenges facing their communities – crime, obesity, toxic stress, poverty – and to do so using a great equalizer, play. The 12 Playful City USA teams who will be participating in the summit are: Bloomington, Indiana Brownsville, Texas Chicago, Illinois Durham, North Carolina Memphis, Tennessee Ottawa, Kansas Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Providence, Rhode Island San Francisco, California Spartanburg, South Carolina Washington, DC York, Pennsylvania “People too often think about play as an individual responsibility rather than a societal or community responsibility. In that sense, play becomes a lower priority for mayors and other civic leaders,” KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond said. “We applaud the city leaders participating in the summit because they understand that play should be everywhere and should be easy to access – at bus stops, on sidewalks, and at the grocery store – and are taking bold steps to achieve their innovative visions.” As bikeability and walkability become ubiquitous to urban cities, city leaders are now looking towards playability to provide a competitive advantage to attract and retain families. The Playful City USA Leaders Summit offers team cities the opportunity to workshop their Bold Goals and Big Ideas with other city leaders and subject matter experts. The summit will also focus on equity and ensuring access to safe play spaces and experiences for low-income kids and families. As part of this focus, new behavioral economics research conducted by KaBOOM! and ideas42, a nonprofit specializing in using behavioral economics to do social good and have impact at scale, will be unveiled. KaBOOM! chose to host the summit in Chicago because it serves as a shining example of city innovation and prioritizing playability. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration have committed to the ambitious goal of ensuring that all kids in the city live within a seven-minute walk to a park or playground. The city has also extended the school day to bring back recess, physical education, and the arts. City leaders are also working in tandem with community groups and the private sector to ensure that the play needs of all Chicagoans are met, in all neighborhoods. To learn more about #playability, the summit, and KaBOOM!, visit http://summit.playfulcityusa.com/.
Cities from across the country will join KaBOOM! for the second annual Playful City USA Leaders Summit in Chicago from October 23-24. The summit, made possible by the Humana Foundation, will convene city leaders from across the country, and from different sectors, to develop innovative solutions to address some of the toughest challenges facing their communities – crime, obesity, toxic stress, poverty – and to do so using a great equalizer, play.
The 12 Playful City USA teams who will be participating in the summit are:
“People too often think about play as an individual responsibility rather than a societal or community responsibility. In that sense, play becomes a lower priority for mayors and other civic leaders,” KaBOOM! Founder and CEO Darell Hammond said. “We applaud the city leaders participating in the summit because they understand that play should be everywhere and should be easy to access – at bus stops, on sidewalks, and at the grocery store – and are taking bold steps to achieve their innovative visions.”
As bikeability and walkability become ubiquitous to urban cities, city leaders are now looking towards playability to provide a competitive advantage to attract and retain families. The Playful City USA Leaders Summit offers team cities the opportunity to workshop their Bold Goals and Big Ideas with other city leaders and subject matter experts.
The summit will also focus on equity and ensuring access to safe play spaces and experiences for low-income kids and families. As part of this focus, new behavioral economics research conducted by KaBOOM! and ideas42, a nonprofit specializing in using behavioral economics to do social good and have impact at scale, will be unveiled.
KaBOOM! chose to host the summit in Chicago because it serves as a shining example of city innovation and prioritizing playability. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration have committed to the ambitious goal of ensuring that all kids in the city live within a seven-minute walk to a park or playground. The city has also extended the school day to bring back recess, physical education, and the arts. City leaders are also working in tandem with community groups and the private sector to ensure that the play needs of all Chicagoans are met, in all neighborhoods.
To learn more about #playability, the summit, and KaBOOM!, visit http://summit.playfulcityusa.com/.
About KABOOM!KABOOM! is the national nonprofit committed to ending playspace inequity – the reality that quality places to play are not available to every child, especially in communities of color. Since 1996, KABOOM! has partnered with kids and communities to create or transform 17,000+ playspaces and ensure that nearly 12 million kids have equitable access to the crucial benefits and opportunities that playspaces offer. In 2022, KABOOM! launched the 25 in 5 Initiative to End Playspace Inequity, the $250 million plan to accelerate its mission in 25 high-priority locations over five years. Learn more at kaboom.org and join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom, facebook.com/kaboom, instagram.com/kaboom and LinkedIn.