“A Place to Play” Summit Unites Community to Champion Safe and Thriving Spaces for Chicago Youth

Members of the Sport for Good Chicago Coalition’s Parks Working Group convene to host “A Place to Play” in support of Chicago’s youth.  Photo by Maya Moody

“A Place to Play” Summit Unites Community to Champion Safe and Thriving Spaces for Chicago Youth

Chicago, IL – Laureus USA, Sport for Good Chicago, and the Chicago Park District co-hosted the “A Place to Play” summit, bringing together over 250 individuals from diverse sectors to collaborate on creating safe, thriving, and high-quality places for Chicago’s youth to play. The summit, held on April 16th, fostered a sense of community and ambitious planning, providing a much-needed space for connection and collaboration. The event drew many newcomers to Sport for Good Chicago, representing universities, city agencies (CDPH, CDHS), children’s hospitals, and neighborhood networks. Attendees were eager to learn more about the movement and join the growing coalition.

The day’s programming was designed and executed by a dedicated planning team of 15 members from Sport for Good Chicago’s Parks working group. Breakout sessions, led by expert panelists, provided valuable insights into existing resources, challenges, and opportunities for action. Participants were given the chance to deepen their understanding of the existing landscape in Chicago for public space activation, and walked away with tools and resources on how to improve the landscape for future generations of Chicago’s youth.

The partnership with the Chicago Park District proved instrumental in expanding the reach and impact of the work across the city. The collaboration not only showcased the parks, but also lent legitimacy to the message and vision of creating safe and thriving spaces for youth. In a time when the work of community development can be particularly taxing, the summit provided a vital space for connection for partners. Attendees expressed gratitude for the opportunity to come together, plan ambitiously, and reinforce the importance of creating places of joy and community.

Early members of Sport for Good Chicago noted the significant growth of the movement, with new stakeholders from organizations like Northwestern, professional sports teams, the Mayor’s Office, and the Parks Commissioner now actively seeking involvement. The room was energized by the idea of moving forward towards a vision of creating safe, thriving, and high quality places for kids to play throughout the city.

A key takeaway from the summit was the concept that “safety is a floor, not a ceiling,” meaning that above and beyond the need for basic safety in public spaces is a deeper need to create meaningful programming that allows youth to thrive. The event energized participants to move forward with a shared vision of creating safe, thriving, and high-quality places for kids to play throughout the city.

This event was generously supported by the Chicago Sports Alliance and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. These supporters sponsored the creation of a Parks Working Group made up of local community leaders within the Sport for Good Chicago Coalition. This Working Group has met over the past year to conceptualize and plan the Summit.