“Play is not just important for the child’s healthy and total development—it is essential,” averred Dr. Bless de Asis of Mindfulness, Love, and Compassion Institute for Psychosocial Services.
According to her, play can allow children as well as adults to rise up from challenges and regain the strength to live a full life.
Experts say every child should have access to play, especially those who are exposed to different situations where they become vulnerable and are forced to put their childhood on hold.
Unilab Foundation believes that play is essential to a child’s holistic development, hence it launched Play It Forward in 2012.
All PIF’s activities are designed to highlight play and its significance to the mental health of children, especially in vulnerable situations. It uses therapeutic play to provide psychosocial support to pediatric patients and to children in post-disaster or disaster-prone communities.
PIF has enabled access to play for thousands of children by facilitating play sessions in hospitals and communities, therefore providing them with safe spaces they need to release stress and build resilience.
This year, PIF takes its advocacy further with Play Advocacy Week 2018, a week-long campaign, happening on Nov. 18-24, that aims to encourage everyone to take play seriously and to explore how it can be integrated in today’s society.
“Play It Forward hopes to reach more communities and organizations through Play Advocacy Week. We invite everyone to join our cause,” said Lilibeth Aristorenas, executive director of Unilab Foundation.
Go to unilabfoundation.org or call (02) 858-1000 local 8163 for more information.
