King County Play Equity Coalition Newsletter
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Wrap Up of Recent Events Related to Play Equity
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This one-day symposium, hosted by UW’s EarthLab, brought together professionals and community leaders in the fields of health, conservation, design and planning, and education to learn from each other and explore common goals and collective strategies related to the human health benefits of being in nature. Dr. Julie McCleery presented with Cary Simmons of the Trust for Public Lands (TPL). Julie presented findings from the
State of Play
related to youth parks usage, and spoke of the recommendations to empower schools as a hub for physical activity through strengthened joint use agreements and green school yards. Cary then spoke about TPL’s partnership with Metro Parks Tacoma and the Tacoma School District to build X green school yards over the next X years.
Some members of the King County Play Equity Coalition attended the School’s Out Washington (SOWA) Bridge Conference last week. SOWA works to build community systems that support quality after-school, youth development and summer programs for Washington youth. This year, the Bridge Conference explored the importance of culture and how it shapes and empowers youth and their communities, and featured speakers who focused on knowledge and strategies to
“better create systems, organizations, and programs that affirm their intersectional identities.”
Among the meaningful sessions the team attended:
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This session explored current inequities in King County and how upstream investments that address root causes, policies and systems; meaningful measurement; and transparent data can work to reduce these inequities in our region. Research suggests that relative — not absolute — income inequality is most important. In other words, “inequity within a society is more impactful than inequity between societies.” Nicole explained that King County is transitioning to measuring community conditions and determinants of equity based on the difference between the top and bottom 20% of the population, and will tailor its investment(s) to increase equity by increasing benefits and decreasing burdens.
This illuminating panel discussion focused on how to lead for equity in the positive youth development and expanded learning space. Some of the takeaways that might resonate in the world of play equity and sports-based youth development include:
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work often replicates the problems it’s trying to solve by centering and norming the white experience.
- When you are trying to create a new system, you often have to “talk the new world into being” because you are leading into something that doesn’t exist yet.
- Ways to work across difference include starting with storytelling, being vulnerable, remembering your actions are as important as your words, and not being afraid to “rumble.”
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Next King County Play Equity Coalition Meeting
We are excited to host our second King County Play Equity Coalition meeting this month. At this meeting, we’ll hear from
Metro Parks Tacoma
and the
Trust for Public Land
(TPL), who are partnering along with the Tacoma School District to pilot green schoolyards in Tacoma’s eastside neighborhoods in 2020. TPL recently
released an analysis
showing that opening America’s public school grounds during non-school hours have the potential to alleviate the problem of park access for almost 20 million people nationwide, including over 5 million youth. See meeting details below:
Date:
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Time:
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location:
TAF Bethaday Community Learning Space - 605 SW 108th St, Seattle, WA 98146
Let us know if you have any questions by emailing
playkc@uw.edu
.
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King County Play Equity Coalition Blog
The King County Play Equity Coalition has published a
new blog
post that spotlights the role of nature and park access for physical activity and health. We highlight the benefits what regional leaders are doing to support equitable access to parks and nature, including the work of King County Metro and Parks via
Trailhead Direct
, a pilot project that provides transit access to nearby mountains and trails including Mailbox Peak and Cougar Mountain.
State of Play: Seattle-King County
revealed this could be helpful to youth in our region; overall, over half of youth surveyed would use public transportation, if provided, to experience outdoor recreation.
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Organization Spotlight
Each newsletter we will spotlight an organization involved with the King County Play Equity Coalition. This week, we highlight
SOS Outreach
, a local program that supports outdoor recreation access and youth leadership in this region. SOS Outreach is guided by six core values: courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, compassion, and humility. The program teaches kids to ski, snowboard, hike, and camp while inspiring them with a sense of purpose and confidence through caring, committed adult mentors. SOS Outreach programming combines outdoor activities with service-learning projects where youth can apply the core values and leadership skills they’ve learned throughout the program.
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Upcoming Related Events and Opportunities
Safe Routes to School: Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education
The OSPI Safe Routes to School: Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education (SRTS) program applications are open. The program is made possible by a grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The goal of the program is to improve safety and encourage more students in grades 6–8 to safely walk and bicycle to school. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) provides training and materials to the funded districts. Current grants totaled approximately $30,000, and are used to purchase a set of bikes, trailers for storage and transport, curriculum, and more.
Read more and apply here
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Beyond Coaching Clinic: Cultivating a Life of Character, Collaboration and Celebration - Coordinated by
Sports in Schools
Date and Time:
Friday, November 15 from 5:30 - 9:00 p.m. | Saturday, November 16 from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (come for one or both days)
Location:
18010 8th Avenue S, SeaTac, WA, 98148
Details:
Cost: $20 (scholarships are available if requested). Pre-registration is required. Go to Brown Paper Tickets and search for "Beyond Coaching Clinic" or register
here
.
Who should attend:
The event is for all middle and high school coaches who work for any private or public school or any coach of a youth community organization.
What is included:
Keynote speaker, 12 additional break out sessions from a diverse group of local coaches and leaders, food, beverages and 10 WIAA clock hours, plus hourly door prizes (gift cards and merchandise).
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King County Youth and Amateur Sports Grants are Now Open!
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The
Center for Leadership in Athletics
(Center) develops effective leaders and leadership practices that maximize the positive, educational impact of athletics. If you have any news to share with the Center, please send a message to
uwcla@uw.edu
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