Today is Playday, an annual national celebration of the importance of play in children’s lives, with community events held across Wales and the UK.
You might think that we don’t need a day to celebrate play; that it’s something children do as a matter of course.
However, sadly, play is not something our children can take for granted. In fact, we are in the midst of a ‘play crisis’, with serious implications for their physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall development, and children in deprived areas being impacted the most.
In this open letter to the Welsh media, Kerrie Gemmill, Director of ScoutsCymru calls on organisations in Wales to work together to ensure no child in Wales is left behind. She hopes that Scouts – with its adventure-based, skill-building programmes – can combine with the learning environment of schools and the expert support of the rich youth work sector to be a part of the solution to this complex problem.
Read Kerrie’s letter below.
Today is Playday, an annual national celebration of the importance of play in children’s lives, with community events held across Wales and the UK.
You might think that we don’t need a day to celebrate play; that it’s something children do as a matter of course.
However, sadly, play is not something our children can take for granted. In fact, we are in the midst of a play crisis.
A lack of outdoor space, increasing curriculum demands, and not enough money in the budget for staff or repairs has led to what the Guardian recently called the “brutal” loss of play time in schools and although the investigation focussed on England, we know it’s a similar situation here in Wales. Indeed, the 2020 Play Wales report found that since 1995, our youngest children have lost 45 minutes of play per week and children aged 11 to 16 have lost more than 65 minutes.
As Director of ScoutsCymru, this issue resonates deeply with me. Our organisation is greatly invested in the future of young people in Wales, with our incredible network of 4,700 volunteers providing Scouting opportunities to around 14,000 young people across Wales every week.
We see for ourselves that many children are facing a critical shortage of outdoor experiences. This has serious implications for their physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall development, with children in deprived areas being impacted the most.
The right to play is enshrined in law. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to rest and leisure and to engage in play and recreational activities and that governments must respect and promote this right and provide appropriate and equal opportunities for it.
Yet not every child in Wales has an equal opportunity to experience the benefits of this fundamental human right – and we find that unacceptable.
However, we recognise that the challenges our children face are too complex and far-reaching for any one organisation to tackle alone.
We need a holistic, community-wide approach that brings together schools, youth organisations, local authorities, and families. And we at ScoutsCymru are keen to be a part of creating a solution
Scouting, with its century-long tradition of outdoor learning and focus on youth-shaped personal development, offers a time-tested solution to this pressing problem and we believe that our approach can help transform the landscape of childhood play and learning across Wales.
By blending the learning environment of schools and the expert support of the rich youth work sector with the adventure-based, skill-building programmes of Scouts, we can create a powerful combination that helps address the emerging play deficit and enhances each young person’s overall learning experience.
This partnership approach not only eases the burden on our already strained school system but also introduces children to a wider range of experiences and role models within their community.
Scouting brings something special to this partnership. Our programmes cover all sorts of areas – from outdoor adventures and community projects to learning new skills. All of this helps tackle the play deficit by giving young people fun, structured time outdoors. For instance, our Outdoors in 24 initiative challenges Scouts to get outside more this year, whether that’s taking part in 24 outdoor activities over the year or spending 24 hours outdoors over the course of a month, encouraging young people to connect with nature in ways that suit them. It’s designed to fit into busy modern lifestyles while still promoting a love for the outdoors and building crucial skills such as resilience and environmental awareness.
We recognise that this approach is not simple, but ScoutsCymru stands ready to support partnerships with schools, government and other youth organisations. We offer expert knowledge gained from more than a century of youth development, a network of experienced volunteers passionate about outdoor education, and access to outdoor spaces across Wales.
Our vast portfolio of badge programmes can be integrated into the Curriculum for Wales and provide hands-on learning experiences that complement classroom education. We are already beginning these conversations with educators and finding ways we can work together and learn from each other. We welcome more opportunities to speak with schools, local authorities, and other youth organisations to explore how we can collaborate effectively.
We urge Welsh policymakers to recognise Scouting and our partners within the outdoor learning sector, such as Forest Schools Wales and member organisations of the Wales Council for Outdoor Learning, as integral parts of the solution to this play crisis. By increasing support and funding for Scouting initiatives across Wales, including investment in community spaces and assets, we can change even more young lives.
This would ensure more young people from all backgrounds have access to regular, quality outdoor experiences.
Our inclusive approach, which you can see in many of our online resources, helps young people develop empathy and understanding for those with different life experiences, ensuring that no child is left behind in addressing this play deficit.
This investment in the wellbeing of young people in Wales through play is not just about addressing immediate concerns; it’s about building a healthier, more resilient future for Wales.
Let’s work together to prioritise play and outdoor activities in the lives of our young people, giving them the space and time they need to thrive.
If you share our passion for providing more opportunities for young people to play, and have ideas of how we can work together, email us on admin@scoutscymru.org.uk We’d love to hear from you.
Find out more about Playday here. https://www.playday.org.uk/
