How do you build a playground when you can’t build anything permanent? Read More
It’s a way for kids to cope, feel safe and take back a little control, says Reza Marvasti, founder and CEO of The Power of Play
It’s a way for kids to cope, feel safe and take back a little control, says Reza Marvasti, founder and CEO of The Power of Play
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How do you build a playground when you can’t build anything permanent?
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This is the question a Squamish-based charity, The Power of Play, and a team of industrial design students from Emily Carr University set out to solve. Their innovative answer: a portable, modular playground system made from recycled materials, allowing children in refugee camps to build their own play spaces.
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“For kids in these situations, play isn’t just a break — it’s a way to cope, to feel safe and to take back a little control,” said Reza Marvasti, founder and CEO of The Power of Play.
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Marvasti knows this firsthand. He was a child in Tehran, Iran, during the Iran-Iraq War.
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“I spent a lot of nights with my family hiding in the basement, hearing the sounds and feeling the shakes of bombs. I was so afraid,” he said. “But whenever me and my cousins played — even just for a few minutes — the fear would go dim. I felt in control again.”
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The PlayScape project, two years in the making, is a collaboration among The Power of Play and third- and fourth-year industrial design students from Emily Carr. Refugee camps are often on leased land where permanent structures are not permitted, so the challenge was to design something lightweight, adaptable and easy to assemble.
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“We aim to be able to bring playgrounds to places they aren’t usually feasible,” Marvasti said.
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The result: a playground system made from upcycled wood sourced from construction sites, along with other salvaged materials like discarded fishing nets and buoys donated by local organizations. The design also allows children to take part in building and rebuilding their own play spaces, turning play into a creative and empowering experience.
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“We’re cleaning up the planet while giving kids a chance to play,” said Marvasti, who immigrated to Canada at 19.
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The first public unveiling of the PlayScape playgrounds will take place on April 16, when Emily Carr students reveal their designs. A panel of faculty and alumni will select the top design, which will then be tested at a Vancouver children’s hospital. University of B.C. psychology students will study the playground’s impact on the children who use it.