Next City

Sponsored: In Black neighborhoods today, parks are half the size of those in white neighborhoods and nearly five times as crowded, according to a new report that says time to play is about far more than fun.

In the second of two sponsored episodes with KABOOM!, we delve further into the report “The State of our Kids: Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis.” Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!, and Dr. Leah Austin, President and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, warn that systems adultify Black children, who are often seen as older and more threatening and are monitored and disciplined before they're allowed to live freely.

“In play, Black children get to be loud, curious, silly,” says Austin, who makes the case for an asset-based lens that locates problems in systems rather than in children who are actually gifted thinkers, creators, and storytellers. “Adults often miss these strengths because they've been trained to only recognize Black children's vulnerability, more readily than they actually see and experience their brilliance.”

Ratliff says a new playspace in a neighborhood that has gone without means more to kids than adults realize.

“It sends a signal that kids matter,” says Ratliff. “So if I'm living in a community that is full of disinvestment, that isn't getting the things that it needs, and all of a sudden there's investments being made, and they're being made for me as a child, it sends a signal to me that I'm seen and I matter, and the adults around me care enough to be prioritizing what is important to me.”

KABOOM! goes further by co-designing each playspace with the community. Its data shows playspaces built with community input see a 223% increase in use, compared with 61% without it.

Read the full report at kaboom.org/sook.

Not My Narrative, a podcast about the myths we tell ourselves and the people working to prove them wrong, is out now.

Links for more Not My Narrative available here: https://nextcity.org/not_my_narrative

Preserving the stories and spaces that define LGBTQ communities is an act of resilience and resistance. Hear from designers, historians, and activists about the vital work of safeguarding these cultural landmarks and ensuring their legacy endures.

Four in 10 students report persistent sadness or hopelessness, and a new KABOOM! report says remedies start with simply listening to young people.

In the first of a two-part sponsored series with KABOOM!, we delve into the “State of Our Kids,” a new report on the youth mental health crisis built with a youth editorial board that pushed back on adult assumptions and centered lived experience alongside statistics.

Lysa Ratliff, CEO of KABOOM!, and Amy Meuers, CEO of the National Youth Leadership Council, say most conversations about youth mental health happen without kids in the room. Or, adults tokenize young people. “A lot of times, as adults, we'll invite young people to share their opinion, and then we turn away from them,” says Meuers.

In its approach to the report, KABOOM! drew upon its 30-year history of treating youth as designers and experts during its efforts to close the gap in playspace equity.

“When you're 5 years old, you know how to build a playground more than a 50-year-old, right?” says Ratliff. “When you're 15 years old, you know what's going on with young people who are overscheduled or trying to get into college or dealing with things in their community more than a 35-year-old.”

Ratliff describes a generation growing up with a tablet by age 2, offered more distracting technologies than opportunities to play.

“It became really important to us at KABOOM! to expand the conversation beyond playground design and playspace design,” says Ratliff, explaining what led to the new report. “We started tuning into statistics that made us really worried and concerned about the wellness and mental health of our young.”

Read the full report at kaboom.org/sook.

This October, Next City is launching Not My Narrative, a new podcast and essay series about the stories we tell ourselves that are mistaken for facts and the people proving them wrong.