The US Play Coalition is looking forward to hosting the 2012 Conference on the Value of Play: Multi-Generational Actions and Strategies in Clemson, South Carolina starting next Sunday February 26 through Wednesday February 29.

The Conference attracts a variety of participants from leading play researchers to involved parents, from the national play community to the international play community, from health care professionals to educators, from two-time Olympic gold medalists to organizations like Playworks. If you are an advocate for play, you’re invited!

We have a solid lineup of keynote and featured speakers this year including Jill Vialet, CEO and Founder of Playworks. Breakout educational sessions will be 45 minutes long and are given by leaders in the field. Many sessions are active and seek to engage the audience, a perfect reminder of why and how play should be incorporated into everyone’s life.

Our members are integral in developing actions and strategies to facilitate play in our daily lives. Membership is free and requires simply requires a declaration of a shared commitment to the value of play. We encourage the readers of this blog to become involved in the movement.

We know it might be too late for you to register or plan to attend the conference this year, but you will be able to follow the action on Twitter by following “USPlayCoalition” and by searching twitter for the hashtag #CVP12 (stands for Conference on the Value of Play 2012). You can also search for us on Facebook and LinkedIn under US Play Coalition.

We hope you will join our movement by visiting the US Play Coalition webpage and clicking “Get Involved” – this will keep you updated on all US Play Coalition news and events. And of course, we hope you will be able to join us at next year’s conference!

Be PLAYful!

Guest blogger Fran P. Mainella is Co-Chair of the US Play Coalition, which hosts the annual Conference on the Value of Play. She was the first female Director of the National Park Service, and speaks and writes on behalf of the Value of Play, the Power of Reconnection to the Outdoors, and the Importance of National Parks. Along with Brett Wright, PhD, she founded the US Play Coalition in 2009 with the mission of promoting the value of play throughout life.