Adventure Playground kickoff discussion with Alex Smith, June 18th 2015 @ A Tiny Lab for Early ...
1. Resourcing
1.1. "It's About building a community "
1.1.1. To donate stuff / recycled loose parts
1.1.2. To build friendships and relationships
1.1.3. Unused land for five years?
1.1.3.1. Question: do we strive for progress and sorry term success or hardcore idealist permanent perfection
1.1.3.2. What's the definition of success here?
1.1.3.3. Pop up playground : proof of concept
1.1.3.3.1. Good for establishing a record of demand and a community of support for more permanent location or set ups
1.2. Lawson foundation 150k for outdoor spaces / deadline: July 7
2. Ideas & Unexplored Questions Arising
2.1. Where to store "stuff" if this is a pop-up playground?
2.2. What is the Canadian equivalent for the British alliance for play? Participaction? Not good enough
2.2.1. First we have to develop the story in a compelling way
2.3. Can we get Toshiko ______ involved? :)
3. Revenue and costs
3.1. New York city has no foundation or corporate sponsors & are making progress / building something
3.2. How much does it cost is like asking how long a piece of string is
3.2.1. Requirements can't be defined until vision is solidified
3.2.2. Without requirements - guessing at costs is counter productive
3.3. Shared vision and concept must come before features are defined and requirements are costed
4. Location
4.1. Point Pleasant Park
4.1.1. Lots of great natural spaces
4.1.2. They already gave space for off-leash dogs, maybe willing to give space for kids?
4.1.3. Activities along the walkways rather than all in one place
4.2. Use it or lose it by law?
4.2.1. Is there a place to start small and prove concept?
4.2.2. Build out an immediate goal, a short term goal, a medium term goal, a long term goal
4.3. Build toward one big permanent place, or prove the concept via decentralized, smaller, less formal locations?
4.4. Pop up playgrounds?
5. Engagement and outreach
5.1. Have to start building the story
5.1.1. There are many different visions and versions. We don't need consensus, just a shared understanding of what the value proposition this group is organizing around
5.1.2. In order to make progress have to define what a critical path looks like in order to understand who needs to do what for which reason and in support of what outcomes
5.1.3. Things to have more discussion around :
5.1.3.1. One park or many?
5.1.3.2. Pop up our permanent?
5.1.3.3. Progress not perfection?
5.1.3.4. Location or locations?
5.1.3.5. Open source and grassroots or structured and directed?
5.1.3.5.1. Strategic Vs organic
5.2. Next step: Lets get a wiki or a website started
5.3. Potential definitions of an adventure Playground
5.3.1. Some have staff of some kind
5.3.1.1. who? Some kind of training
5.3.2. Some have a connection with food
5.3.3. Distinguishing features of the environment and materials somewhat dependent on resources available
5.3.3.1. I. E a junk playground
5.3.3.1.1. good for building and taking apart and physics and gravity and leverage etc
5.3.3.2. An open/natural space with no structure?
5.3.4. A lot have wood structures,
5.3.4.1. Big swings
5.3.4.2. Bright big asymmetrical objects
5.3.5. Some are open I. E Japan and some are enclosed I. E Britain
5.3.6. It can be ad hoc and small scale or large and permanent
5.3.7. Everyone has different concepts and defined things according to features or peculiarities of other models
5.3.7.1. So what is the essence and lowest common denominator that could translate into a shared vision for halifaxs version of this idea?
6. Governance and structure
6.1. If going to move ahead have to be something
6.2. Attach to another to organization?
6.2.1. I. E stepping up
6.3. Become an organization
6.3.1. Co op?
6.3.2. Social enterprise?
6.4. Partnerships
6.4.1. Government to unlock is key but not main channel
6.4.2. MEC
6.4.3. Experiential learning I. E architecture and planning / NSCAD
6.4.3.1. Could they design prototypes?
6.4.3.2. Could it be a build it and move it set up to allow it to pop up in different locations
6.4.3.2.1. Halifaxpopupplayground.com? :)
6.4.3.3. Loose parts
6.4.3.4. Get kids to give them direction and inspiration and construct the requirements :)
6.4.3.5. Waterfront development corporation
6.4.4. Adventure earth centre
6.4.5. The Deanery Project?
6.4.6. Rona, home depot etc. With cause marketing programs to support community/play/children programming
6.5. Legal
6.5.1. What do we need to know to determine a fitting Organizational structure?
6.5.2. Department of parks and Rec just merged
7. Random info and misc discussion points
7.1. watch the Seven Up video on the Facebook page
7.2. Inspiration : Adventure playgrounds in London & Glasgow
7.3. Supervision for kids
7.3.1. Volunteers
7.3.2. childhood educators
7.3.3. Permanent staff
7.3.4. Partnering with other orgs
8. Action items for next time
8.1. Everyone write up a quarter page (4-6 sentences) as well as a 15 second "elevator pitch" of what an adventure Playground means to them - conceptually, literally, philosophically - whatever. It should help inform the rest of the group of how you think we should get others who are starting from zero knowledge on board, and why people should care or become involved in getting it organized / built with wahtever skills/assets/resources they might be able to contribute.
8.1.1. WHY?
8.1.1.1. Will present group with common elements that appear in multiple places
8.1.1.2. Will present language, terms, assumptions, ideas etc in order to start a shared vision/story/direction
8.1.1.3. This will help everyone think through what's in their minds eye
8.2. Alex to create a Facebook page to continue open dialogue and invite people into discussion
8.2.1. https://www.facebook.com/AdventurePlayGroundYHZ
8.3. Will need a google drive presence for docs
8.3.1. Who/How TBD