International Play Association: Promoting the Child’s Right to Play 2014: June

Play Notes The Newsletter for IPA Members Worldwide

3 June 2014

Postcard from the President

Dear IPA friends, The IPA World Conferences are always precious to our members and ‘Access to Play’ in Turkey recently was no different. With play advocates gathering from around the world we were able to share in a richly rewarding cultural, sunny and playful experience. We were deeply saddened to be in Istanbul just days after the mining disaster struck in nearby Soma; it heightened our sense of urgency to focus attention on the importance of play for children in difficult circumstances. ‘Access to Play in Crisis’ was our first experiment with a ‘special workshop’ within a conference and the theme imbued the conference with special meaning. Our colleagues in the Active Living Association, our conference partners, have proved firm friends and launched not just a conference but also a movement for play in Turkey that will be part of the lasting legacy of IPA World Conference 2014. My memories of Istanbul 2014 will be of solidarity, friendship, hard work and amazing examples of initiatives to ensure all children can exercise their right to play. Playful IPA greetings, Theresa

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What Is Ahead?

Sign up for a Translation Team if you are willing to help make IPA’s publications and website available to

non-English speakers.

Please contact Cynthia Gentry at Communications@IPAWorld.org

Istanbul Conference Edition

23 June 2014

Deadline for article 31 video translations

September 2017 20th IPA Triennial World Conference in Calgary, Canada

www.IPAworld.org

October 2014 PlayRights Magazine – Conference Issue

Deadline for all members to verify mailing address on Wild Apricot for PlayRights mailing

31 August 2014

September 2014

Quarterly Play Notes Newsletter

PlayNotes

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3 June 2014

New IPA Branch Representatives are welcomed with loud cheers and applause: (l-r) IPA Turkey, IPA New Zealand, IPA Nepal, IPA Netherlands, IPA Russia.

Membership news At the World Conference in Istanbul we were delighted to announce the formation of five new IPA Branches. We also welcomed 69 new members who signed up at the IPA Desk during the conference – and welcomed back those who renewed! As IPA is an association of members with a common purpose, we are very pleased indeed that the network continues to grow. The formation of the five new Branches was celebrated at the Presidents’ Reception in the lovely University Courtyard: welcome to IPA Turkey, IPA New Zealand, IPA Netherlands, IPA Russia and IPA Nepal. Branches each elect a National Representative to the IPA Council so formation of a Branch is a very significant step. To have five new Branches – and a number of prospective Branches – is a sign of the health and vigour of IPA. News from the General Meeting The Board for 2014- 17 was elected with some familiar faces: Theresa Casey (President), Robyn Monro-Miller (Vice President), David Yearley (Treasurer), Margaret Westwood (Secretary), Cynthia Gentry (Communications Officer), Mike Greenaway (Membership Officer) and Kathy Wong (Development Officer). It is great to have such an experienced Board, however one of our key goals for this term is to find and support the Board members of the future.

IPA Executive Board

Theresa Casey, President President@ipaworld.org Robyn Monro-Miller, Vice President VicePresident @ipaworld.org Margaret Westwood, Secretary Secretary@ipaworld.org David Yearley, Treasurer Treasurer@ipaworld.org Cynthia Gentry, Communications Officer Communications@ipaworld.org Mike Greenaway, Membership Officer Membership@ipaworld.org Kathy Wong Kin-ho, Development Officer Development@ipaworld.org

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3 June 2014

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Congratulations to Marilena Flores Martins of IPA Brazil, on becoming an Honorary Life Member of the International Play Association: Promoting the Child’s Right to Play. All members at the General Meeting, Istanbul, 2014 whole-heartedly approved the nomination in recognition of Marilena’s considerable achievements for children’s play and outstanding contribution to the association.

Three wonderful projects were awarded "IPA Right to Play Awards" at the IPA Triennial Conference. These were the Halabja Community Play Project (Iraq), the Playful Gardens project - Promeny Foundation (Czech Republic) and the Beit Issie Shapiro Playground (Israel). Twenty-one nominations from twelve countries were received for the awards - a record in the history of IPA. For more information on the awardees please take a look at the IPA World website in the coming weeks!

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Brazil’s Marilena Flores Martins Named IPA Honorary Life Member

(Martins in Geneva while working on the General Comment on article 31.)

IPA Right to Play Awards

More news from

(L: Theresa Casey talks with Halabja team; R: the Mayor of Halabja, Iraq.)

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3 June 2014

The IPA Council have accepted IPA Canada's bid to host the 20th IPA Triennial World Conference 2017 in the city of Calgary. At the Istanbul conference closing ceremony representatives from Calgary presented Theresa Casey with a white Stetson in a traditional White Hat Ceremony, inviting IPA members to join Canada in "Unleashing the Power of Play". The exciting conference plans for September 2017 in this stunning location near the foothills of the Canadian Rockies are well under way, and more news will be available shortly.

It’s Calgary!! IPA Canada Selected to host 20th IPA Triennial World Conference in 2017

Watch Calgary’s video on hosting the 20th IPA World Conference in 2017.

http://bit.ly/1prqh8B

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3 June 2014

Memories

The main auditorium at the The Children in Crisis workshop team. Istanbul Technical University Taşkışla Campus

The IPA Board celebrates with the wonderful team from The Play Day is underway! ALA who organized and hosted the conference.

A team from the Children in Crisis workshop. The IPA Board still working after the conference is done.

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3 June 2014

Opening morning keynotes and dignitaries. Council meeting.

IPA Australia’s Barb Champion. Council meeting with new member from Brazil, Belisa Pereira.

IPA Canada’s Pierre Harrison Recording the action. IPA USA’s Dorothy Sluss and Board Member, Is responsible for the 2017 conference Kathy Wong from Hong Kong.

The welcome area of the conference. IPA Board members welcome IPA Russia.

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3 June 2014

Every country marked with a red dot in the world map above has an IPA presence. We are approaching 50 countries, which is remarkable for an all volunteer association, but there is still more to do. It has been said that “IPA has always been about what happens at the country level”. In the coming year we will make sure that what happens in your country gets heard and seen around the world.

There is, at long last, a new website under development for IPAworld.org. One of the capabilities of the new site will be the ability for you to click on your country and bring up contact information, country reporting on the CRC, and news from your IPA Branch (if you have one). We want you to be able to share your good works and your good ideas!

We want to provide an international forum on the child’s right to play and your IPAworld.org website will soon help the organization do that very thing.

Perry Else Passes Away We were greatly saddened to hear that Perry Else, National representative for IPA England, Wales and Northern Ireland passed away on 1 June 2014. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his family, friends, colleagues at Sheffield Hallam University and at IPA EWNI.

Perry will be remembered as a passionate play advocate and for challenging the way we think about play, particularly his work on Psycholudic play theory.

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3 June 2014

IPA: Play Notes 2013: August

The popular IPA video “This Is Me” about Article 31 of the CRC, the General Comment and a child’s right to play is being translated into many languages, including: Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Welsh, German and Swedish. Is your language missing? We are eager to have the video translated into as many languages as possible. If you can translate English into Arabic, Nepali, Dutch, or any other language please contact Cynthia Gentry at Communications@IPAworld.org as soon as possible. It is a very short script so it should be a very quick job. Thank you!

Last chance to have IPA video translated into YOUR language Is YOUR Language Included?

English Swedish Spanish German French Welsh Russian Hebrew Turkish Japanese Portuguese Chinese

What Is Wild Apricot? IPA's new membership database, called Wild Apricot, enables us to manage our membership information more easily and more effectively than before. It also allows members to update their own profiles, including address information, and view a directory of members. If you have not already done so, take a look at http://ipaworld.wildapricot.org/ You can log in using your email address. If you have not previously logged in you can prompt the system to send you your logon details, including a new password. Please check your details (especially your mailing address) to ensure they are accurate – we wouldn't want you to miss out on the next PlayRights Magazine coming out in October.

You may now also renew your IPA membership online at www.IPAworld.wildapricot.org/joinus.

(Note that the site is in British Pounds. The currency is converted for you through the website.)

The video is at http://article31.ipaworld.org

If you would like to download the wonderful children’s versions of article 31 in your own language, please contact Cynthia Gentry at Communications@IPAworld.org.

We will send you the script for translating and then use your translation to create a version of the posters that will be meaningful to your children.

We would like for ALL children to have a solid understanding of their right to play. Please help us with the translations! Thank you.