King County Play Equity Coalition Hosts Third Annual Free Community Play Day

At the third annual Free Community Play Day, hosted at the Tukwila Community Center, the King County Play Equity Coalition (KCPEC) brought together various organizations dedicated to making play more accessible and safer for youth. This nonprofit, based in King County, focuses its efforts on immigrant refugee youth, LGBTQIA+ youth, girls, and children of color, who are often furthest away from play equity.

Above all, the event highlighted the importance of play and physical activity for a healthy lifestyle. Mobile program manager for the Mariners Training Center Forrest Snow helped coach kids at the event interested in baseball, stating that being "active, playing, it's all part of that healthy lifestyle you should probably develop as a kid, take into high school, take into college." 

But the benefits extend beyond physical health. "We're not just really teaching them baseball and softball. We're teaching them how to learn,” Snow said. “Those life lessons when you show up as part of a team in a new job or with a boss like a coach, you know how to interact with them, you know how to converse and communicate with them.”

Associates of the African Young Dream Empowerment Program (AYDEP), a youth-led, adult-guided nonprofit from Federal Way, expressed excitement about their participation in Free Play Day. The organization supports youth aged 10 to 24, especially first or second-generation immigrants, by helping them "connect to the youth, give them resources, and just guide them to be better people in society,” AYDEP youth director Fiona Okech,

Jason Mburu, a youth leader at AYDE, shared his positive experience, stating, "It makes me feel like there's like a big community around me. I'm seeing a lot of people in different areas getting along and just having fun. It's a really good time."

Braided Seeds, a participating organization focused on making outdoor recreation accessible to families and youth, providing a nature-based art activity with rocks, mushrooms, and pine cones for kids to color and paint. “It’s really cool to just think creatively on how young people or how kids can connect with nature and the outdoors, whether it's through art or the different programming that we offer throughout the year,” Erandi Flores, Braided Seeds Youth & Families Program Coordinator, said.

Tracy Myers, the Executive Director at KCPEC, spoke on one of the coalition’s significant achievements: passing Washington state legislation that requires 30 minutes of recess in kindergarten through fifth grade across the state of Washington. Myers reiterated the event’s overarching sentiment of joy and community. "We know that there are so many transformative benefits to play, one of them being bringing joy,” she said. “And I think in a world right now where there's so much... hatred out there and exclusion and people not having hope, sports and recreation, fun and play is something all our kids deserve to have." 

The event was a testament to Myers’ point, with Sharma concluding, "It's just a joy. It's a joy to see everybody out running around and playing and…hopefully experiencing something new."

Visit kcplayequity.org to learn more about the coalition’s work and upcoming events.