Started by Dalhousie University students Caitlin Donnelly and Marina Mrishih, Play4All is a community driven initiative with the goal of creating a positive impact through making sports accessible to all families.
Though it’s still in the starting stages Play4All looks to break the financial barrier for sports. The goal is to have monthly clinics hosted by their executive team and announced by Instagram. Volunteers and varsity athletes will help teach the games to the children. The initiative hopes to foster inclusivity and give opportunities to children throughout Halifax Regional Municipality.
“We just want to inspire teamwork, encourage fitness and give kids a love for sports,” Donnelly said.
Mrishih said they plan to start small this semester as they hope to have a fundraiser by the end of the fall semester and one or two clinics in January. She also hopes by the second or third week of the winter semester, the Dalhousie University society expo will allow the group to spread the word about what they are doing. Once numbers increase, the group will have a list of sports for the participants prior to sessions and the Dalhousie student volunteers will be in charge of running through a sport.
Parks and recreation ties
Mrishih and Donnelly both have experience working with children as they work with Halifax parks and recreation to plan summer camps and coordinate programs. Mrishih said while working for parks and recreation they realized some areas in Halifax have limited access to recreation because of expenses.
Mrishih said she loved the parks and recreation job and wanted to bring it to school for Dalhousie University students to volunteer.
Dalhousie has countless societies which offer students the opportunity to get active. These sports range from arm wrestling to running and rugby. Other initiatives allow students to volunteer to work with youth in sport environments, teaching them the importance of sport. This includes Extra Awesome which organizes sessions for children with down syndrome to work with varsity athletes.
These clubs, societies and volunteer work proved to Donnelly and Mrishih there would be interest from the student body.
Mrishih said while they are just in the beginning of their initiative, they have laid the foundation for what a session would look like. Three hours would be booked off, with one sport being explored each hour through drills and scrimmages. They goal is for the children to learn about the sport and connect with peers of the same age.
The sessions would be open to all families regardless of parental income.
“We want to provide it to as many kids as we can,” Donnelly said.
A sense of community
Donnelly said the pair started with the focus to introduce fitness and teamwork among the children. They also want to give the opportunity for the children to try a sport and build on that love as they grow up.
Additionally Mrishih said with it being a Dalhousie initiative she hopes it will be able to build a community where the students running the drills and games can build friendships. . She described the games as fun and said the students can learn leadership and the ability to work with children through the love of sports.
For the community to grow, Donnelly said the initiative hopes to gain local business sponsors for their sessions, gain connections and hopes to do giveaways through their social media.
Mrishih put an emphasis on trying to get people involved. In order for sessions to run they need children and students there, so the group plans to have flyers around the city once a first session is ready.
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