Year-End Update from Co-Founder and Executive Director, Angela Kyle
As 2023 draws to a close, we are taking time to pause and reflect - not only on the last 12 months but on PlayBuild’s evolution over the past decade.
11 years ago - in November of 2012 - I stood on stage at the new Propeller incubator space as one of 10 finalists in NORA’s “Lots of Progress” competition. My rudimentary 3-slide “pitch deck” outlined a vision of converting a vacant Central City lot into a new kind of play environment – an outdoor classroom to inspire kids to learn about architecture and design.
The audience who listened that night – including celebrity judges Maurice Cox (then Director of Tulane’s City Center) and Jeff Hebert (then Director of NORA)– was intrigued by my crazy idea, nonetheless, I walked away from the competition empty-handed with the feedback that the project’s $60,000 budget was unachievable.
Yet, the foundation of PlayBuild was established that night, and an early network of supporters began to form around me and my co-founder, Charlotte Jones.
Justin Klein – owner of a vacant lot at 2828 Thalia Street reached out to let us know we were welcome to use his space to prototype our idea of bringing over-sized building blocks, bins of LEGOS, picture books, and arts and crafts materials into a space designed to spark inspiration, curiosity, and to get kids playing and building.
This origin story sparked the excitement and support of early co-conspirators at the Louisiana Children’s Museum, KIPP New Orleans, the Partnership for Youth Development, Ashe CAC, and the Arts Council.
From the beginning one thing was clear: it was going to take a village to build one playground, but Charlotte and I kept going, and our village kept growing.
In the end, through local alliances and a foundational grant from KaBOOM! in 2013, we managed to bring PlayBuild 1.0 - our “Minimum Viable Product” to life with sweat equity, in-kind donations, and an initial $5,000 in donations from friends and family.
We chose Central City in 2012 because of the number of youth under the age of 18 and the clear lack of safe and accessible kids’ infrastructure in the community.
11 years on – Central City has changed dramatically – from the completion of the MLK streetscape initiative to the recent completion of H3C bringing over 200 units of affordable housing and a new model for integrated health services to the OC Haley corridor.
Nonetheless, our immediately surrounding blocks remain vacant, overgrown, and a magnet for illegal dumping of household garbage, furniture, tires, and other waste.
Conversations with youth and families in our community repeatedly emphasized concerns about physical safety, and the ongoing need for secure and trusted social spaces where kid-friendly activities are hosted, facilitated, and supervised by community members delivering on parents’ needs for peace of mind.
With this feedback and these concerns top of mind, we are focusing our efforts in 2024 on rebuilding from the ground up – our organization, our space, and our advocacy initiatives with a new set of Building Blocks – our (RE)Building Blocks.
(RE)Building Block #1: Allies & Advocacy - we will renew our advocacy efforts building on our Child-Friendly Cities work and our ongoing work on the implementation of the Youth Master Plan in collaboration with the Office of Youth & Families and new national partners at Children & Nature Network and the National League of Cities
(RE)Building Block #2: Board Transformation- with a focus on an ambitious capital campaign to re-develop Thalia Street, we will recruit a new local Board of Directors and National Advisory Board
(RE)Building Block #3: Community Development- we will formally plant a flag on Claiborne Corridor as part of the Claiborne Cultural Innovation District – the culmination of 10 years of planning and collaboration
(RE)Building Block #4: Donor Engagement: we will re-engage our donor network and expand our reach by involving supporters directly in our community efforts.
Through our efforts at PlayBuild, as our Central City neighborhood transforms around us, we intend to give the young people in our community a safe space to learn, play, imagine, dream, and discover the possibility of designing change.
Your support of PlayBuild will advance our re-building initiative in Central City, help ground our new program in the Claiborne Cultural Innovation District, and empower the next generation of New Orleanians to see their roles as future city builders.
If you can support our efforts with a tax-deductible year-end gift in any amount, we would appreciate your contribution.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress. Thank you in advance, and Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Angela Kyle
Co-Founder, PlayBuild