Every child deserves a space to play, learn and grow.
Play is a fundamental right, and an essential part of childhood. It helps children to learn about themselves and the world around them, and is core to healthy development. Yet, today, hundreds of refugee children living in northern France don’t have access to education or spaces to play.
Project Play is working to change this. We provide a mobile play service to create spaces for refugee children to process trauma, develop key skills and make positive memories.
Can you help us bring play to children who need it?
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Support us
★ Engage ★
Following us on social media and engaging with our content is a fantastic way to show support for our work, and help raise awareness. You can also join our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter (no spam, promise!)
★ DONATE ★
We rely on donations from people like you to keep playing. Every little goes a long way - play isn't expensive! Whether you donate €2, €5 or €50, every penny goes directly to helping us create space for refugee children to play.
If you can, donating monthly is a fantastic way to help us build stability. Plus, you'll join our community of monthly donors, receiving special updates from our ground team (and our infinite gratitude).
★ SHOP ★
We’ve worked with some wonderful designers to create a gorgeous range of one-off tote bags, with 100% of proceeds going straight to keeping us playing. Shop with impact - shop our totes!
Our totes are sustainably sourced and ordered in batches, to demand, minimising waste.
Thank you!
SPACE TO PLAY
Many of the children we work with live outside, in tents, all year long. They do not have access to water, food, sanitation or adequate shelter - nor do they have access to safety or stability. Spaces for them to play, relax and just to be children are few and far between.
Play is essential for any child’s well-being and development. For some of the most at risk children in Europe, it can be a lifeline. Through play, children practice essential life skills; they learn to interact and communicate, to express their emotions and to explore their creativity. Play also allows children the opportunity simply to create positive memories; a fundamental part of any childhood.
Often, the children we work with talk about their hopes and dreams. These include going to school - a space to learn, make friends and get to know their likes and talents. Like every child, in every school, they have dreams of becoming teachers, doctors, footballers, actors, or artists. Creating space for these children to play and learn - about themselves and the world around them - is so important.
Our service aims to create these spaces, and to provide support to the children we work with - mitigating the impacts of ongoing trauma and fostering a sense of identity, agency and increased self-worth. We do this through providing regular and consistent play sessions, with familiar faces and carefully planned out games and activities.
No two Project Play sessions are the same - but all of them feature a structured activity, group circle time (with silly songs and fun games a-plenty!) and plenty of time for free play. If you’d like to learn more about our sessions, click here.