The City of Calgary to host 20th IPA Triennial World Conference

Calgary, Alberta – The sold-out 20th International Play Association (IPA) Triennial World Conference is set to go ahead this week, with 700 children’s play advocates and professionals from more than 30 countries, along with fun activities that are open to all Calgarians.

Hosted by The City of Calgary and IPA Canada from Sept. 13-16 at the Telus Convention Centre, the IPA Triennial World Conference brings together dedicated play researchers, advocates, designers, educators, practitioners, providers and policymakers to celebrate play, understand its many benefits and provide all children with the chance to engage in rich, meaningful, free play.

The mandate of the IPA aligns closely with The City’s 10-year Recreation Master Plan which declares a vision of an active, creative and vibrant city where all residents enjoy the many benefits of recreation, individually and in their communities.

“The City of Calgary believes in promoting the value of play in Canadian communities and protecting play as a fundamental right of all children around the world,” said Kyle Ripley, director of Calgary Recreation with The City of Calgary. “Unstructured play is a vital component in the health and development of children. Our leadership in this conference will be a catalyst towards establishing a new legacy of play for our city.”

The four-day conference will feature more than 450 international presenters including renowned research professors Dr. Peter Gray and Dr. Roger Hart. Highlights of the conference include daily family friendly Play Events in Olympic Plaza (228 8 Ave. S.E.), a Calgary Play Charter signing at City Hall (800 Macleod Tr. S.E.) on Sept. 15 and a Monstrous Adventure Playground at Shaw Millennium Park (1220 9 Ave. S.W.) at noon on Sept. 16.

“Bringing the IPA Triennial Conference to Canada is an integral part of our strategic plan to galvanize Canadians around the child’s right to play,” said Pierre Harrison, IPA Canada president. “Our partnership with The City of Calgary is key as together we nurture a national play movement. We look forward to welcoming academics and practitioners from Canada and around the world to share expertise and advance our understanding of the importance of self-directed play in the healthy development of children.”

“All children have a need and right to play. Play epitomises the pleasure of childhood as well as being fundamental to the health, happiness and wellbeing of our all children,” said Theresa Casey, IPA World president. “The IPA is delighted to bring the world to play, talk, laugh and learn in Calgary. We are grateful to our partners in The City of Calgary and IPA Canada for building a conference that will inspire actions for children’s right to play here and around the world.”

The conference is generously funded by The Lawson Foundation. It’s also supported by more than a dozen sponsors.

Apart from The City of Calgary and IPA Canada, the organizing committee of the IPA Triennial World Conference includes a variety of play leaders including Vivo for Healthier Generations, and the University of Alberta.

More information on the IPA Triennial World Conference can be found at http://canada2017.ipaworld.org.

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