The Play On Program was launched in May of 2020 to fulfill the need for a group program that is non-gender specific.  Our school partners wanted a program that simply is non-gender specific and open to anyone. It is a mixed group facilitated by mixed leaders. Same length of time and commitment from children and leaders as both our other group programs.

Play On is for all genders to come together including trans or non-identifying children and is not gender specific. It is an 8-week program that covers a variety of pertinent topics. Playing physical activities of all kinds, talking about nutrition, learning how to feel good about oneself, team building + communication skills being learned in a safe place.

Each Play-on group has a certain activity focus. Currently, for instance, one group has a focus on hiking, another group has a focus on yoga and another group has a focus on Arts and Crafts. The program participants can select what activities they want to register for when they register for the program. 

The 8 week program curriculum has the following structure:

  1. Getting to know each other: In the first week we want to let everyone in the group get to know one another including Ice Breaker games and Team Building activities. 
  2. Working together: In this week the goal is to get the group thinking and working as a team, while having fun. This involves a variety of games with the goal of getting everyone to work together as a team.
  3. Healthy Eating: In this week we are going to be focused on ways to feed the body and nourish ourselves physically and mentally. 
  4. Bullying: In this week we discuss bullying. Bullying is especially problematic for students who identify as LGBTQ+ and cyber bullying is a particular problem and we address how to deal with these situations. 
  5. Gender Norms: In this week we address gender norms. We focus on male and female roles, how they are portrayed in popular culture and gender stereotypes. We also open the discussion to non-binary gender roles and the issues surrounding that. Each student is free to express their own opinions provided they do not speak offensively or disrespect anyone in the group. We want this to be an open supportive conversation. 
  6. Expressing Yourself: In this week we will be talking about self-expression and the importance of being yourself, without judgement. 
  7. Self Esteem: In this week we will discuss the topic of self esteem. We will have group activities surrounding self-image and what qualities about themselves they can be proud of. We also have an activity that allows someone else in the group to say something about someone else in the group that is admirable. 
  8. Wrapping it up: The goal of this week is to have fun, take some time to reflect on what people in the group have gained from the experience and reflect on the time spent together. 

For More Information give us call at 250.756.2447.