Do you remember playing stickball or jumping rope in the street? Neighborhood streets used to be children's playgrounds but traffic was the problem. Now one organization wants to bring those back to kids by temporarily closing local streets to traffic and letting kids play outside.
Playing is important but community buildings end the fun. So here came Play Streets. Play Streets began in Bristol in 2009 with just one street. The idea grew with its success. It really took off in 2011 with support from The Funding Network and now thousands of people across the UK are taking part in the activity and playing in the streets. Later Play Streets became a global movement and it is spreading like wildfire.
"Our society has changed and communities are having higher levels of isolation and kids aren't playing outside as much as before. But Play Streets gives people a place to have street meetings and parties or simply a place to play for a few hours," Valli Morphett, the chief executive of Co Design Studios said.
You can bring Play Streets to your street in your neighborhood too. Get a group of neighbors together to organize activities and you can even ask local schools to help plan your activities. But you just can't put up a sign and close your street to traffic. Before you start you should consider the following question to make sure Play Streets will go well. Is the local government supportive? You should do the necessary paperwork with the local government so that rules are followed. The local government is likely to accept the activity and may make it easy to close the street. Once the government agreed, it's time for fun. Bring toys and supplies, get the word out and get each organizer to take action.
