Recreation Restoration Foundation is a charity dedicated to giving all kids the childhood they deserve, filled with access to fun, active play, and creative outlets so they can thrive. Recreation Restoration Foundation works to bring balanced and active play into the daily lives of our youthful spirits and minds, particularly children growing up without adequate recreational facilities and program
s. We do this by funding and restoring places to play with modern and innovative equipment, sponsoring children to attend recreational camps, inspiring communities to promote and support play. To achieve this goal, Recreation Restoration Foundation works to catalyze and recreate great places to play, empower advocates to promote and protect play, and elevate public discussion around the importance of recreation. Recreation tackles a number of urgent issues plaguing our society — especially those present among low-income communities. The Issue
The issue is that America’s kids are playing less than any previous generation. In part, this is because kids ages 8 to 18 now spend almost half of their days in front of televisions, computers, and mobile devices instead of engaging in active play. Only one in four children gets an hour of physical activity or active play every day. As recreation has decreased, obesity rates and behavioral and cognitive disorders have increased. Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, and in 2011, the decline of play was linked to su***de rates that have quadrupled among teenagers under the age of 16, along with the rise of depression and anxiety in kids and young adults. And, of course, schools without recess face more incidents of classroom problems, from kids’ emotional outbursts to problems interacting with others. The Answer
Children who have recreation as part of their daily life, do better in school, become better cooperative team players, and develop into more outside of the box thinkers. Moving into adulthood is less of a challenge, thus increasing the likelihood of successful relationships. Children who play are happier, smarter, and more confident— as are their communities they exist in. They stand a greater chance of developing into happy, healthy, smart adults than children who do not. This is why we are dedicated to giving all children the play they deserve by bringing together parents, local government, and communities to ensure that people have the necessary access to recreational programs and resources every day, everywhere.
