1 Concorde Gate, Suite 302
Toronto, ON M3C 3N6
www.playworkspartnership.ca
For Immediate Release
Youth Friendly Communities honoured at Queen’s Park
Toronto, October 22, 2009– Play Works, an independent group of organizations committed to helping youth by encouraging and promoting a greater investment in youth play, will honour the 2008 recipients Ontario Youth Friendly Communities at a reception at Queen’s Park on October 27, 2009. This year’s recipients, the Cities of Brampton, Hamilton, Pickering, and Sault Ste. Marie, the County of Brant, the Municipalities of Brooke-Alvinston and Port Hope, the Towns of Ajax and Hanover, the Township of Rideau Lakes, and the Canadian Forces Base Petawawa have all been recognized for their outstanding commitment to providing adolescent youth with opportunities to play, and to participate in and contribute to their communities.
Play Works is also pleased to announce that the Honourable Margarett Best, Minister of Health Promotion, will host the reception and present the plaques to elected officials, youth and local staff representing these deserving communities. This event was made possible through funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
The Youth Friendly Community Recognition Program celebrates communities that are taking steps to open their doors to youth by reinvesting in youth play. The rigorous selection process required communities to meet at least ten of sixteen youth friendly criteria including providing opportunities for play, youth engagement, accessible programs and opportunities for youth activism. Since 2005, 32 Ontario communities have been recognized as Youth Friendly.
New in 2008, communities worked towards different levels of recognition: communities that met 10 or 11 criteria are recognized as a Bronze Youth Friendly Community Builder, those that met 12 or 13 criteria are recognized as a Silver Youth Friendly Community Builder, those that met 14 or 15 criteria are recognized as a Gold Youth Friendly Community Builder and finally, those that met all 16 criteria are recognized as a Platinum Youth Friendly Community Builder. Many communities have applied in successive years in order to achieve “Platinum Status.”
The 16 criteria resonate with communities on many levels. The Town of Caledon, a Youth Friendly Community (2007), used the criteria as a basis for planning. Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison said, “Being recognized as a Youth Friendly Community is important to the Town of Caledon. During the process of creating the Town’s Recreation Master Plan, youth were identified as a key priority, and we used the criteria set out by Play Works as guidelines on how to better serve Caledon’s youth.” She added, “We formed a Mayor’s Youth Council to empower youth by creating a forum for them to give input on matters that affect them directly.”
Providing opportunities for youth to play is essential to the Youth Friendly Community principles. “Play isn’t just playing,” states Jennifer Cowie Bonne, the Play Works Chair, “it’s an essential and necessary aspect of development for youth. When communities make youth play a priority, they help youth reach their full potential. Youth Friendly Communities help to build a skilled and employable workforce, a creative cultural community, and healthier individuals – lessening the burden on our healthcare and social justice systems. Many communities large and small, urban and rural, are well on their way to being a youth friendly community.” And she adds, “The time for putting Ontario’s youth first is now.”
Event Details
Date: October 27, 2009
Time: 5:30 to 7:00 pm (formal remarks at 6:15 pm)
Location: Committee Rooms 228 and 230, Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park, Toronto
Media contact: Diane English, Communications, Parks and Recreation Ontario
phone : 416-426-7306 cell : 416-779-8670
denglish@prontario.org
Background
Play Works is an independent group of organizations committed to helping youth by encouraging and promoting a greater investment in play. To learn more about Play Works, the Youth Friendly Community Recognition Program, The Cost of Excluding Ontario’s Youth From Play report, and the ‘Do It Yourself’ program, a one-time initiative to help fund youth organized activities, please visit: www.playworkspartnership.ca.
The Play Works Partners are: 4-H Ontario, Arts Network for Children and Youth, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada – Central Region, Laidlaw Foundation, Ontario Physical and Health Education Association, Parks and Recreation Ontario, Sport Alliance of Ontario, and YMCA Ontario.
Play Works acknowledges and appreciates the support from The Laidlaw Foundation, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion.
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Media Contact:
Diane English, Communications, Parks and Recreation Ontario
phone : 416-426-7306 cell : 416-779-8670
denglish@prontario.org