Volunteer Recruitment

As a leading member of the planning committee, you'll play a key role in recruiting volunteers to show up — for fundraisers, information sessions, the build and much, much more. You'll locate and mobilize the "people power" that is so vital to this project. Building a playspace is a big job — but with your help, many hands will make light work!

This section of pages is designed to help you through the process of planning, organizing and implementing your team goals. In the Volunteering Recruitment section, we cover the following topics:

Community-build Philosophy

Before we dive into the actual planning process, here's a short introduction to the community-build philosophy.

The Importance of Play

A community-build playspace project is all about bringing a sense of fun, freedom and creativity to hundreds of kids. But it's also about convincing your entire community that play is a necessity, not a luxury. Kids who engage in active play perform better in school, think more creatively, maintain healthier body weights and are better able to resolve their problems peacefully. Safe playspaces also let children experience the joy of just being a kid, free of adult worries and responsibilities. Don't all children deserve these opportunities?

More research on the importance and impact of play for kids is available in our play research section.

Community-built playspaces

When you're recruiting volunteers for this playspace project, play up the community-build model, in which the whole community plays a part in designing, building, and maintaining a playspace. The community-build model saves money (up to 40% of your budget!), responds to the needs and desires of local children, forges new partnerships for change, trains community leaders, and inspires citizens to take control of their neighborhoods.

By getting the community involved, there is greater ownership, which increases the continual maintenance down the road. You're getting a lot more than a playspace! Furthermore, building a playspace as a community does not have to compromise quality. Community-built playspaces can be designed creatively, built with the best materials, and installed to the highest standards of safety and accessibility.

Community-built playspaces often serve as meeting places for the whole community to gather together, making your town a real neighborhood while reducing neighborhood crime and promoting adult recreation. Just as play is essential to a child's physical, mental and social development, so does a community-build project contribute to the health and vibrancy of the entire community.