European Toy Libraries - Newsletter 2

Newsletter nº 2 (2011)

Brussels 2011

ETL HISTORY AND MEMBERS The Group of European Toy Libraries (ETL) was founded in 1996 during the 7th International Conference on Toy Libraries in Zurich (Switzerland).

Since 1996, regular meetings have been held and in 2011 Brussels organized the annual meeting.

The European Group is an informal group. We are committed to the beliefs that play, playthings and playful interaction are essential to optimal education, physical, psychological, social and cultural development.

The members of ETL are National Associations of Toy Libraries, play professionals and individuals interested in promoting play, from countries across Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

The Group of European Toy Libraries is a section of the International Toy Libraries Association of (ITLA) and works in close co-operation with ITLA. ITLA is a non-profit making international organization consisting of national toy library associations, institutions and individual members.

One of the main goals of ITLA is the encouragement of co-operation between the different national organizations.

ETL’S DEFINITION OF A TOY LIBRARY Toy libraries provide resources for play, including toys, games, trained staff and dedicated space.

6500 Toy Libraries in Europe

THE PURPOSES OF ETL ARE:

• To disseminate the concept of toy libraries as a means of bringing play and play materials to people.

• To serve as a link between national toy library organizations, providing opportunities for international exchange of ideas and materials.

• To maintain a liaison with other organizations and associations pertaining to developmental and social issues, health, education and play.

• To organize common presentations at international events such as the International Conferences organized by the International Toy Library Association.

• To cooperate with organizations having similar goals.

ETL MEETING—BRUSSELS, APRIL 2011 WORKING STANDARDS The group discussed the draft document that came from Lisbon’s meeting and added some new information, namely in the section regarding “Rational and Legal Framework” that all agreed should start with ETL's definition of toy library and clearly state their mission: Toy libraries have the mission...

1- To defend the idea that leisure, as part of Human Rights (art. 24), includes the right to play.

2- To defend the Right to Play (art. 31 CRC) recognizing it as essential in the overall development of children; Article 31 CRC 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.

2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.

3 - To promote and recognize the pedagogical, educational and socio-cultural role that play has for society and individuals all lifelong; 4 - To raise awareness among institutions and the community about the importance of informal/free play and to favor autonomy by free choice; 5 - To nurture the relationships between children and their parents or carers through playing together.

The full work regarding Policy and Management, Management Tasks and Toy Librarian and Volunteer Tasks

will be edited in the near future, but ETL’s Co-ordinator

suggested that we should consider the preparation of a global document composed by the competencies that were worked out, the quality charter and a training program.

“The Right to Play is for Children (UNCRC Art. 31) but also for Adults, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”

2 Group present at the meeting in Brussels, 2011

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE TOY LIBRARIES’ RECOGNITION ETL’s members think that first there should be an official recognition and then disseminate the concept of Toy libraries to the general public but, unfortunately, it works the other way around. Toy libraries have to make their own marketing near the public and when it is well known in the community you get politicians' attention.

The members shared several successful strategies: - Contacts with the media, e.g. game selection for newspapers and inviting reporters to events; - Celebration of the World Play Day, now a very well know event in most countries, attended by several media reporters and by people who usually don’t go to Toy libraries and become, with this activity, familiar with it; - Special events, symposiums, conferences and exhibitions regarding Play and Toy Libraries (e.g. "Game Week" in France, "Play Night" in Switzerland, “Week of Toy libraries" in the Netherlands); - Establishment of partnerships with the community (e.g. play stores); - Edit newsletters and informational flyers for the public; - Using new technologies to publicize Toy libraries (e.g. social networks); - Join several national Toy libraries in the same event.

“Making the Toy Library a space well known in the community has proved to be an effective way to improve its recognition. ” 12TH INTERNATIONAL TOY LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE IN BRAZIL ETL will be present at ITLA Conference in October 2011.

This conference will have continental presentations, where ETL will be

PARTICIPANTS: •

Belgium

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Spain

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France

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Greece

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Italy

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Luxemburg

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Netherlands

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Portugal

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Switzerland

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Turkey

•

UK

participate, and this is one of the most valuable aspects of such conference: sharing ideas, practices and knowledge between continents.

For the ETL’s presentation in the Conference, all the members agreed to: • show the different toy libraries in Europe and how they work (responsibility of the Play Activity Department from Portugal that will make a video with the material sent out by ETL's members); • refresh facts and figures of European toy libraries (the Co-ordinator will update the abstract of the last conference with new figures); • the work that has been achieved by ETL, namely regarding the competencies; • ETL's future work, namely the charter of quality and standards.

Also, some ETL members will make individual presentations regarding the work in their countries.

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ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE During the meeting some actions for the future were agreed: NEXT MEETING:

1. Charter/Standards

of Quality—What should be interesting at European

level is to find what is common between the existing Charters from each country (France, Great Britain, Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland)

Date: April 19th –20th 2012

and disseminate them in ETL’s future documentation;

Place: Istanbul, Turkey 2.

European standards on classification of toys and games: some members stated that they are always struggling with different visions on this matter and would like to know how do Toy libraries from other countries work.

“Sharing ideas from across European countries is very important and can help each one of us to improve toy libraries' recognition” GETTING TO KNOW BRUSSELS...

The annual meetings give also the participants an opportunity to become acquainted with the reality of host country's Toy Libraries and the activities that are being carried out regarding Play.

The members from Belgium organized visits to the exhibition “Games from here, games from elsewhere”, promoted by HEB Defré Brussels High School, and to the COCOF Toy Library that share its building with Brussels' Toy Museum.

ETL’s members met with the Toy Librarians that are responsible for this space so to get to know their way of working and share practices and knowledge. These are valuable moments to get to know in loco the day-to-day life of the professionals committed to the Right to Play and a special motivation for ETL's future work.

4 © Child Support Institute, 2011