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ACCESS TO PLAY IN CRISIS: THE ISTANBUL
ACCESS TO PLAY IN CRISIS WORKSHOP
An Enlightening First Step
Access to play in crisis is the special theme of IPA for the period of 2014 – 2017. For inspiration we draw upon the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the General Comment (#17) on article 31 paragraph 53 which states: “...in these situations (children in situations of conflict, humanitarian and natural disasters) opportunities for play, recreation and cultural activity can play a significant therapeutic and rehabilitative role in helping children recover a sense of normality and joy after their experience of loss, dislocation and trauma.”
The IPA Special Workshop: Access to Play in Crisis was held at the IPA World Conference in Istanbul in May of 2014. This one-day workshop considered principles, challenges and design of play space for children in situations of conflict as well as in situations of humanitarian and natural disasters. It aimed to draw attention to the play needs and rights of children in situations of crisis and to draw together knowledge and expertise gained through practical interventions to support play. In the short time available it provided a platform for discussion amongst the participants each of who have particular experience, knowledge or expertise to share. The delegates came from nine countries. Sudeshna Chatterjee (India) and ric mcconaghy (Australia) facilitated the workshop. What follows are the workshop notes from two of the groups. More notes from other groups will appear on the IPA website ipaworld.org/access-to-play-in-crisis/.
GROUP #1 The members of this group were: • ric mcconaghy, Playspace Designer, children’s advocate • Mine Göl-Güven, Bogaziçi University • Selim Iltus, Bernard van Leer Foundation • Erum Kamran, Children & Nature Network Asia • Senay Sevim, Turkish Red Crescent • Isami Kinoshita, Chiba University • Georgianna Duarte, University of Texas at Brownville
We had a group with many cultures, languages, beliefs and philosophies. We needed time just to get to know each other and to get started, to connect, to understand. We needed to ensure everyone felt that they could contribute and be heard. This took time, patience, concentration and listening to stories. The group was, of course, passionate, engaged, and articulate. Despite widely varying experiences from all over the world the focus on outcomes for children became the unifying medium. The group raised a series of issues to be considered including:
Problem/Event Impact Nuclear power plant accident Displacement, health issues due to restriction of playing outdoors, including obesity, physical development of small children, fear due to non-specific evidence of effects of radiation
Water – tsunami, flood, hurricane, earthquake Fires – bushfires, wild fires Displacement, loss of villages and areas for play, death, contamination
Devastation of all life forms, trees, wildlife, humans, access to natural resources
Civil war Death, poverty, illiteracy rates due to disturbed and unsafe childhood, access to play denied, deterioration of law and order, psychological impacts, insecure food and water supplies, loss of parents, displacement, radiation impact on surrounding countries Use of chemicals Polluted food bowls, affected water supplies, changed nature of natural foods, affected insects that pollinate, commercialisation of food supply Land use conflict Displacement of habitat and communities
Notes compiled by ric mcconaghy.
ACCESS TO PLAY IN CRISIS WORKSHOP
Having identified these crises we needed to determine a mechanism for organizing our response into a manageable format within the short time allowed, and to consider how to address the issues. It was decided to separate the events into natural events and man-made conflict. These events might also be separated into permanent and temporary impact.
Natural Events
The natural events included tsunamis, floods, bushfires, earthquakes, and extreme storm events. These events often receive large external support, but can also be reactive which can mean limited community engagement as things get done to the community, or for them, rather than with them. The main threats include temporary relocation of entire populations causing disunity, loss of hope, exploitation by vested interests (business, politics, other organizations), disparate approaches to problem solving, lack of resources for play due to its being perceived as not a valid concern in an emergency situation.
Man-Made Conflict
These include conflicts such as those in Syria and Pakistan, which are leading to significant loss of life, displacement, injuries, poverty and exploitation, trauma and mental health issues, and further social unrest. These conflicts may be localised, but often affect regions and spill over into other countries. These also include disasters such as the Japanese nuclear power plant accident where radiation displaced many families and made an area of the country uninhabitable for a significant time. It is also arguable that some natural events are exacerbated by man-made intervention. For instance, some would argue that bad urban planning allows human habitation in areas that are prone to natural events such as fire and flood, thereby exposing humans to risks they might not encounter if encouraged to build elsewhere.
Somewhat surprisingly the impacts were consistent across both natural and man-made events. Whether the event was a tsunami, civil war, or industrial accident, the impact was often community displacement (permanent or temporary), and disparate, uncoordinated responses. There was also a consistent lack of appreciation for the recuperative power of play, and hence a limited response in terms of resources and programmes. These “sticky note” items generated in the workshop were identified as applying to both natural events and man-made conflicts: Population relocation Loss of hope Exploitation by business No political will to fix the conflict Lack of resources Internal & external prejudice Dismissal of play as a valid concern Disparate opinions and approaches Perceptions of cultural disapproval and family and community expectations Total disruption of typical behaviours (decisions) Istanbul JULY 2015 23
Major factors in successful response include awareness, training and collaboration.
With regard to political and religious organisations, they must be confronted with organized pressure in order to encourage them to keep their focus on the community and not their own agendas. With regard to NGOs, these need to be apolitical and have appropriate training of both volunteers and professionals in order to be responsive to and sensitive with communities in crisis situations. Furthermore, when NGOs leave we need to ensure that their knowledge and capacity has been passed on to the older members of the children in the community so that they can carry on the work. With regard to these individuals and their families they need to be engaged with and supported, trained, counselled and resourced so that they can collaborate in educating their extended community to the value of play for children in such situations.
At a practical level on-the-ground social areas need to be made a priority in temporary accommodation facilities so that fear does not become entrenched. Displaced communities need materials, education and the right to play. Playworker intervention can bring profound change by showing communities the benefits to children of playing. It is not about facilities as much as it is about space and the allowance to play.
GROUP #2
• The members of this group were: • Mehmet Adiyaman, Turkish Red Crescent • Kathy Wong, Playright Hong Kong, IPA Executive Board • Marcus Veerman, Playground Ideas • Hitoshi Shimamura, Tokyo Play • Emrah Kolukirik, Turkish Red Crescent • Selim Iltus, Bernard van Leer Foundation
In our group we addressed the question, “Can we create a refugee camp that is truly child-friendly?” Refugee camps are certainly not where anyone would choose to live. Given that they are a ‘necessary evil’ in our world we explored the idea of how these spaces might help a child thrive both now and in later life. Humanitarian camps are unique spaces that contain many obvious and unseen challenges. We were inspired by the thought that in any special situation there are opportunities that may be exploited to the great benefit of children. An exciting thought.
Opportunities
Because humanitarian camps are unlike “normal cities” we identified some distinct differences in their structure that offered niches to exploit in children’s favour: 1. These camps have little or no traffic, so the usual risks to children and fear of parents around roads are non-existent. It also means that the paths that do exist can be safely used. 2. Being temporary and relocatable in nature, camps offer an incredible opportunity to redesign spaces and entire “suburbs” by literally picking up the tents or shipping containers and re-arranging them. 3. Camps are diverse places with people and resources coming from across the globe offering many unheard of opportunities for learning. After exploring these opportunities we looked at how to apply them to the most common challenges that keep children in camps around the world from thriving.
Challenges Location Play space is often poorly located or non- existent making it difficult for parents to get the children there and to supervise them once they do. Locations need to be open and considered safe by parents so they feel safe leaving their children. Poor location can cause issues with people upset by the noise of playing children or flying balls etc.
Supervising parents need a space that caters to their needs.
Camps rarely have spaces for adults to work, do crafts, and be creative.
Time Constraints Parents can often be busy dealing with other issues and if play is dependent on their supervision it can stop play altogether.
Parents with negative associations or attitudes to play e.g. “It’s just lazing around when they should be studying or doing chores.” Freedom of expression No place for children to express their full range of emotions: initially, children who experience traumatic and confusing situations can play in ways that can be confronting, cause anxiety, and be offensive to the community, ie playing ‘war’ or ‘earthquake’.
Monotony Camp life is often monotonous, repetitious and unstimulating.
Cultural sensitivity Play opportunities may be inappropriate for religious or gender reasons.
Hygiene Camps are often unhygienic and untidy places with many physical hazards like broken glass, rotting rubbish, diseased dogs and other animals. Possible Solutions
Portable play spaces e.g., play bus/play boxes in strategic locations. A key revelation and huge opportunity is the ability to move or create camp plans ‘from scratch’ that include spaces for children. With smart planning this can be done without compromising on space for pathways and other amenities, but it does need community consulting and clear and careful planning to make sure it meets the needs of parents and the community.
Supervising parents need: shade, privacy for breastfeeding (from men), social activities, etc.
Sheds and spaces for adults to be creative and for children to be mentored in an informal setting. Cultural and religious needs must be considered for the site to be successful.
Creating safe supervised spaces where parents can leave their children.
Parental education programs that highlight the importance of play to curb parental fears and prejudices about play. Playworkers regularly go out and meet parents to build trust and get to know the community. Children need a place separate from the high density of camp central to be able to fully express their feelings, thoughts and actions. Children may need observation and intervention and sensitive adults to support, understand and provide context. In time, children need creative and attractive alternative play options that can be nurtured by playworkers. Facilitated play can encourage expression through music, painting, etc. Children need time and space to play in nature, eg water, grass, trees. Children need a diverse range of loose parts and resources and a space to use them year round, e.g. a site that is protected from extreme weather with a storage room full of diverse resources to create ‘rich’ play experience. Children need to regularly leave the camps and experience ‘normal’ daily life and the senses, sounds and immersive experience that it holds. Community consultations must be carried out to understand and address the problematic situations such as boys and girls playing together, girls playing publicly, proximity to men’s toilets, proximity to dark or closed-in quiet places. Play spaces and general camp areas need to be regularly cleaned to create a sense of safety and freedom for both parents to allow children to play and so children will not be injured.
For reports from Group #3 and Group #4, visit our website at ipaworld.org/access-to-play-in-crisis/
