KaBOOM! – Using Asset-Based Community Development to Build Playspaces and Promote Play

Studies of young children and adolescents suggest that most are not meeting the CDC-recommended daily minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity, contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. One barrier to childhood physical activity is a lack of access to safe play spaces.

Studies have found that play can increase physical activity for children and is key to socio-emotional, physiological and academic development. Additionally, reports from Stanford University and the IOM state that play should be a component of efforts to increase physical activity in children. Recommendations include programmatic, behavioral, environmental and policy changes such as providing corporate support for playgrounds and opening school facilities to the public on weekends. Play is also a fun aspect of a solution to a serious problem.

For 13 years, the national nonprofit KaBOOM! has been utilizing an asset-based community development model of engagement to raise funds for and help communities to build play spaces, called the KaBOOM! Community-build Model. This session will discuss how KaBOOM! has brought together companies and communities to lead all-volunteer planning and construction of over 1,500 playgrounds, improving play opportunities for over 4,000,000 children. Specifically, we will talk about components of the Community-build Model and the resources that are available through KaBOOM! to support communities.

The results of the Model are not only tangible playgrounds, but also activated communities. Through a qualitative evaluation, including interviews and case studies, KaBOOM! has found that this process creates a lasting impact on communities by building capacity, enhancing community pride and cultivating leadership.