News from the Team...

What a crazy, busy, wild ride the 2nd half of 2024 has been! Are you ready to see it end in less than 8 weeks??? Our heads are spinning, but it is ok as we are still having fun, and we have heard it on good authority that spinning is good for the vestibular system!

It has been great to see our own members getting involved on the world stage in recent months, with Daniel Burton presenting the keynote at the IPA USA Conference in September and Kim Moroney presenting a workshop and contributing to their white paper (see the resources section below) plus our member QCAN (Board member Kylie is from QCAN), hosted an international school age care research conference in September and it was great to see how professional the event was, and catch up with Play Australia members in the OSHC sector, including the team from one of our newest members, the NGO “3 Bridges”.

We have a lot on in the final 6 weeks of our office operation for 2024. including a few exiting announcements and putting in place the final planning for a fantastic start to the new year!! So, hang on everyone, and let’s make the countdown to 2025 super fun.

Yours ever so playfully,

Robyn, Peter and Joanne.

Hosted by Play Australia, the Asia Pacific will be invited to join us for a conference on Play, from 25-27 June 2025, at the Melbourne Convention Centre.

The inaugural IPA World Asia Pacific Conference on Play is set to be a groundbreaking event, bringing together a diverse array of stakeholders from across the Asia Pacific region to delve into the transformative power of play. Scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Australia, the conference will convene government representatives, NGOs, educators, urban planners, health professionals, designers, and play advocates to exchange ideas and develop strategies that emphasize the integral role of play in fostering healthy human development and vibrant communities.

This landmark conference will serve as a dynamic platform for thought leadership and empowerment in advocacy and engagement related to play. With an emphasis on cross-sector collaboration, the event aims to inspire participants by showcasing innovative approaches and evidence-based practices that demonstrate the multifaceted benefits of play. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore how play can enhance physical, emotional, and social well-being, and how it can be leveraged as a tool for community transformation.

Keynote speakers and panelists, comprising leading experts and passionate advocates from various fields, will illuminate the latest research and trends in play-based initiatives. These sessions are designed to challenge conventional thinking, stimulate dialogue, and inspire action, empowering participants to become champions of play in their respective domains. Topics will range from the role of play in early childhood education and urban planning, to its impact on mental health and community building.

Workshops and interactive sessions will offer participants the opportunity to engage deeply with the content and collaborate on developing actionable solutions. These sessions will facilitate the sharing of best practices and innovative ideas that can be adapted to diverse cultural and community contexts within the Asia Pacific region.

The conference will also highlight successful case studies and projects from around the region, demonstrating the tangible impact of play on community resilience and cohesion. These inspirational stories will serve as powerful reminders of the potential for play to drive social change and improve health outcomes.

The Inaugural IPA World Asia Pacific Conference on Play will forge lasting connections among participants, fostering a vibrant network of play advocates who are equipped to drive meaningful change in their communities, supporting the development of healthier, happier, and more connected communities throughout the Asia Pacific.

A call for expressions of interest for workshops and the conference website will be released WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER for World Children’s Day.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Email Robyn at ceo@playaustralia.org.au

Fifty six participants from across Australia are in the process of completing their Certificate in Playwork Practice (Foundation) course, a collaboration with Play Australia and Play Wales.This is a cross sectoral course and our new Industry certified standard for people wanting to enhance their practice.

Our first cohort was incredible, and we are seeing wonderful examples of the way they are shaping and informing practice in health, education, libraries and local government. We hope to share their work with you in 2025 (right now, they are busy completing their assessment tasks!).

Our next intake for the 2025 cohort is commencing in March 2025 with webinars in March and April and the 2 day face to face workshops held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Rockhampton between 21 May and 6 June. We can only accept a limited number in each location to ensure a high quality experience.

Bookings open on 24 November.
Course costs: $895 for members and $1295 for non-members

(A travel subsidy is available for ACT, WA, NT, SA and Tas for members, limited subsidy places in each course, but places will be held open for these states/territories).

The Play Sanctuary of Joomunjie Land was planned, designed, built, marketed, launched, and sustained by the children of Eagleby, supported by Australian Institute of Play. Nestled in an out-of-bounds area of a primary school, within one of Logan's lower socio-economic areas, with high levels of crime, violence, and drugs, and houses full of children. Under these challenging conditions and living with the lottery of life, Joomunjie Land is supporting these neighbourhood children to not only thrive, but buck the national childhood trends of negative developmental vulnerability and physical and mental health outcomes.

This presentation will unpack the data of a recent independent evaluation of Joomunjie Land, exploring the potent outcomes of agency, joy, happiness, sense of community, cultural competence, and community intelligence being fostered, not just for the children, for the entire community, since Joomunjie Land opened 2 years ago.

Wednesday 27 November 2024
12.00pm-1.00pm AEDT

Cost:
Free! for members
$33 inc gst for non-members

This is the meeting of the financial year 2023/4

AGENDA

1. Welcome
2. Apologies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of Annual General Meeting 19/12/23
4. Presentation of the Annual Reports
    4.1 Board Report
    4.2 CEO Report
    4.3 Financial report including the Statement of Accounts
5. Election of the Auditor
6. Declaration of Members of the Board for 2024/2025
Three positions are up for re-election. See information regarding nomination process in this newsletter.
7. Vote of Thanks
8. Conclusion

AGM papers will be sent in a special member e-News.

Use this Form of Proxy if you are unable to attend and would like to nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf.

Call for Nomination to the Board
Nominations are now open for election to the Play Australia Board of Trustees. Nominations close on 25 October at 5pm (AEDT)

There are 3 positions on the Board that are elected by a vote of the membership. Each position holds office for a 3 year term. The election is only for 3 members of the 9 member Board. Under the constitution, the elected Board members determine who among them will fill the leadership roles of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

An additional 2 positions on the Board can be co-opted by the elected Board to fill skill gaps as identified. All eligible nominations will be part of an online poll of members conducted 4-15 November 2024.

Only members who have paid their membership fees are eligible stand for election and to vote. Nomination forms must be completed in full.

The Play Australia Board is a working Board. Board members should allocate 8 to 12 hours per month to undertake the role. Board members represent Play Australia. They do not represent employers or organisations they are related to. Board members have an obligation to act in the best interests of Play Australia, this can sometimes be different to the interests of other groups they are associated with. Play Australia Board members must not use the office for self-promotion or promotion of their business interests.

Before you decide to nominate for the Board, you are required to know the role has important legal and ethical obligations, not just to members of Play Australia, but to Australian Charities and Not for Profit Commission (ACNC), with whom we are registered.
To learn more about those obligations, read through the ACNC Governance Standards.

Nomination forms are to be accompanied with:
1. A Directors Identification number
2. A Working with Children Check or equivalent confirmation
3. Signed Play Australia Code of Conduct and Child Safe Code of Conduct
4. Submit certificate of completion of the Governance Standards quiz on the ACNC website.

To request a Board Information Pack email info@playaustralia.org.au.

Looking forward to celebrating our 110th with you!

Released on 28 October so hot off the press... Playing and being well, a comprehensive literature review focusing on the importance of children’s play and wellbeing.

Commissioned by Play Wales, and undertaken by Dr Wendy Russell, with Mike Barclay and Ben Tawil from Ludicology, it is a review of recent research into children’s play, social policy and practice, with a focus on Wales, but has application for our learning and knowledge here in Australia.

The literature review investigates the connections between play sufficiency and children’s wellbeing. It draws mainly on academic research, across a range of disciplines, but also draws on professional, advocacy and practitioner literature where appropriate. The review focuses on the role of play in children’s wellbeing, children’s play patterns, and adult support for children’s play.

Divided into five chapters, it includes information about:

• the background, scope and approach of the literature review
• contextualising and framing the review
• the role of play in children’s wellbeing
• children’s play today
• supporting children’s play.

Playing and being well follows the publication of a briefing and summary to introduce the literature review. Play Australia has Dr Wendy Russell present on this work in our online webinar series. The recording is available free for members on our learning platform. Apply the code: Play110624 to access.

Our CEO Robyn will be in Wales on November 21 for the one day conference on the event and will be hosting a Conference Club webinar on Tuesday 3 December to share her insights.

Play Australia CEO Robyn Monro Miller has been awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship! This is the first Fellowship awarded in Australia for play!
Read more about the Fellowship and Robyn's project here.

Following the release of Robyn’s work in the last quarter or 2025, Play Australia will host a series of roundtables and briefings to explore how we might implement the project findings to drive a national agenda for play in Australia.

You are warmly invited to join us for a members networking pop up event!

When: Wednesday 13 November, 4pm to 6pm
Where: The General Assembly, South Warf

These events are great opportunities to meet other Play Australia members and share in deep cross sectoral conversation with a sprinkling of play! We hold them across the country and looking to hold more in 2025!

Play Australia CEO Robyn Monro Miller AM will be in attendance along with Play Australia Board members. Robyn will brief us all on the Asia Pacific IPA conference to be held in June 2025 and her recently awarded Churchill Fellowship plus get updated on the signing of a new commitment to Children’s Rights in Geneva on November 20, 2024.

The Play Australia office will close for summer break on Wednesday 18 December and reopen on Wednesday 22 January 2025. Our extra-long break is good to use up our leave entitlements, and ensure we are rested and recalibrated for a new year!

For urgent matters – send an email to info@playaustralia.org.au