Play Your Part

GIVE CHILDREN THE SPACE TO FEEL SAFE, COPE, LEARN, AND PLAY.

As conflicts rage and climate change worsens, the places where children should feel safe to play and learn are disappearing.

Crisis situations can force children away from home, school, and loved ones. Many are exposed to violence or pressed into marriage or dangerous work due to economic hardship, bringing enormous stress and trauma. Such heavy emotional burdens can affect children’s emotional health into adulthood.

We can change this by playing our part. Give children the space to feel safe, continue learning, and begin recovering from trauma.

A safe space is where children participate in different forms of play that allow them to express their feelings and rediscover moments of joy. With support from trusted adults and peers, children can begin to process what they’ve experienced, open up about threats to their well-being, and find comfort.

Clapping along to songs and playing games with Right To Play-trained coaches in Mali fosters a sense of belonging and trust among children displaced by conflict. In Tanzania’s Nduta refugee settlement, children who escaped violence in Burundi are safely continuing their education through play-based lessons. Indigenous youth in Canada connect with their culture and build confidence at camps and community centres. Around the world, girls learn to stand up for their right to refuse forced marriage at Girls' Clubs.

Choosing to play your part means giving children the safe, supportive spaces they need to heal and protect their well-being.

Children can play their part and simply be kids when you play your part to keep them safe, learning, and thriving. Find out how.