2009 theme

Have your say on Playday 2009. Hot on the heels of the Playday 2008 Give us a go! campaign, we're asking for suggestions for the 2009 Playday theme.

 

Why do we need a Playday theme?

Playday is an established, unique and high profile national campaign that aims to raise the profile of play. At the same time it’s a fantastic and fun way for the play sector, children, families and communities to celebrate children’s right to play.

In recent years the play sector has achieved significant gains to raise the profile of play and improve children’s access to and quality of play provision. Now, more than ever, we are looking to cement these gains and to campaign for further improvements. Playday offers an important opportunity to jointly campaign for play and play related issues - so it’s crucial that we make sure the annual campaign theme maximises this chance.

 

What to think about

Fun, exciting events are an integral part of Playday’s success – both nationally and locally - and so it would be great to have a national campaign theme that can be easily adapted to be the theme of Playday events too. At the same time, think about what you would like us to collectively achieve, be it raising awareness of a particular issue, or specific changes that can be made.

 

Who can have their say?

We‘re committed to ensuring the annual campaign represents the aims of as many of us as possible, so please tell us your Playday 2009 theme suggestions.

Suggestions are welcome from individuals and organisations. There’s no right or wrong suggestion, and no expectation of super-catchy theme titles! Just tell us what you think is the most important play-related issue to campaign about over the next year.

Please also consult with colleagues and your networks and encourage them to put forward suggestions.

We've produced a template to help you consult children and young people on the theme. Collect and send them to us at:

Playday
8 Wakley Street
London
EC1V 7QE

Fax: +44 (0)20 7843 6349

 

How do I suggest a theme?

Email us at playday@ncb.org.uk with your theme suggestions, or write to the address above.

You may also wish to put your views forward to your most relevant Playday steering group organisation. All suggestions will be reviewed when the steering group meets later in October.

We look forward to receiving your suggestions, and continuing to consult with you on Playday 2009 in the coming months.

 

What are the previous Playday themes?

Details of previous Playday campaign themes can be found here.

The Playday campaign theme can really make a difference. We’ve provided a case-study of the Playday 2007 campaign below, providing some of the elements you may want to think about when suggesting a theme:

 

Case study: Playday 2007: Our streets too!

Theme:

Last year’s theme, Our streets too! highlighted the need for change so that children, young people and their families can feel confident about playing in streets and areas near their homes.

Evidence base:

Research commissioned to support the campaign revealed a worrying decline in children’s use of public spaces near their homes for play. For example, the ICM opinion poll showed that 71% of adults played outside in the street or area close to their homes every day when they were children, compared to just 21% of children today.

Media success:

The Playday campaign consistently raises the profile of play in both national and regional media. The Our streets too! campaign captured media attention, generating a media circulation equivalent of over 39million people hearing about play and Playday.

2007 media highlights included an hour's debate on Radio Five Live, and features on the Today programme, Woman's Hour, BBC Breakfast and The One Show. The campaign was featured in the Guardian, Observer, Telegraph and Times, Newsround online and had wide-ranging local press, radio and television coverage.

Impact on policy:

There has been a fantastic coalition working across the sector campaigning for government commitment to play, throughout the UK. Whilst Playday cannot claim credit for the significant inclusions related to children’s play and the public realm in The Children’s Plan and Fair Play, the campaign undoubtedly had an impact: Play England received an invitation from the government to discuss the Playday research at a crucial time in policy consultation, and some of the campaign’s key asks were included in the resulting policy and play strategy.

Our streets too! at Playday events:

There was overwhelmingly positive feedback on theme from Playday event organisers, local media and the general public. To celebrate the Our streets too! theme, many Playday events were held in streets and the majority of events incorporated the street theme for example via activities and consultations.