Joomunjie Land - The Play Sanctuary for Positive Mental Health
Tracks
Tamborine Gallery - In-Person Only
| Tuesday, March 25, 2025 |
| 10:40 AM - 11:00 AM |
| Tamborine Gallery |
Overview
Hyahno Moser, Sara Branch, Australian Institute of Play
Presenter
Dr Sara Branch
Senior Research Fellow
Griffith University
Joomunjie Land - The Play Sanctuary for Positive Mental Health
Abstract
This story we will share with you, is based on Griffith Universities recent analysis of evaluation data collected from the Joomunjie Land Children, their families and the staff who work with these children during school times.
Across the globe real-play and agency in childhood is in decline. Correlating are increases in mental health issues for children. Stressors such as anxiety, depression, aggression, negative self-concept and social isolation. However, for the children of Joomunjie Land, childhood is flourishing.
The secret is protecting agency for children through high-quality child-led play, catering for their motivations: Freedom, fun, friends, fluency (mastery) and fantasy (creativity).
What is Joomunjie Land? It is a community backyard and adventure play place and a school-based intervention. A community backyard is a place-based initiative, belonging to the children. It is their backyard. A central place for children to gather. They are encouraged to bring friends, family and do whatever they like in this space, within the boundaries of the rules that they set. The space is filled with loose parts these are items that are open-ended, moveable, and combinable, meaning children can create whatever is important to them. Thus what we see is individualised play expressions.
Community backyards are supervised by local Playworkers trained to grow child-agency, supporting them to feel ownership over the space, as well as empowering children to work through their own problem solving process, and finally, but very importantly, building strong relationships with other children and their families.
Joomunjie Land, located within Eagleby South State School, in a low SES neighbourhood where children on average are expected to have almost triple the levels of developmental vulnerability. Joomunjie Land children are bucking the city, state, national and global trends. These children are healing themselves through child-led play. Such a simple, obvious and cost-effective solution wielding strong results.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Play as a protective factors for mental health
2. What is the community backyard model?
3. Proven simple and cost-effective solution to support healthy child development including positive mental health
Across the globe real-play and agency in childhood is in decline. Correlating are increases in mental health issues for children. Stressors such as anxiety, depression, aggression, negative self-concept and social isolation. However, for the children of Joomunjie Land, childhood is flourishing.
The secret is protecting agency for children through high-quality child-led play, catering for their motivations: Freedom, fun, friends, fluency (mastery) and fantasy (creativity).
What is Joomunjie Land? It is a community backyard and adventure play place and a school-based intervention. A community backyard is a place-based initiative, belonging to the children. It is their backyard. A central place for children to gather. They are encouraged to bring friends, family and do whatever they like in this space, within the boundaries of the rules that they set. The space is filled with loose parts these are items that are open-ended, moveable, and combinable, meaning children can create whatever is important to them. Thus what we see is individualised play expressions.
Community backyards are supervised by local Playworkers trained to grow child-agency, supporting them to feel ownership over the space, as well as empowering children to work through their own problem solving process, and finally, but very importantly, building strong relationships with other children and their families.
Joomunjie Land, located within Eagleby South State School, in a low SES neighbourhood where children on average are expected to have almost triple the levels of developmental vulnerability. Joomunjie Land children are bucking the city, state, national and global trends. These children are healing themselves through child-led play. Such a simple, obvious and cost-effective solution wielding strong results.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Play as a protective factors for mental health
2. What is the community backyard model?
3. Proven simple and cost-effective solution to support healthy child development including positive mental health
Biography
Hyahno Moser
Ceo
Australian Institute Of Play
Joomunjie Land - The Play Sanctuary for Positive Mental Health
Abstract
This story we will share with you, is based on Griffith Universities recent analysis of evaluation data collected from the Joomunjie Land Children, their families and the staff who work with these children during school times.
Across the globe real-play and agency in childhood is in decline. Correlating are increases in mental health issues for children. Stressors such as anxiety, depression, aggression, negative self-concept and social isolation. However, for the children of Joomunjie Land, childhood is flourishing.
The secret is protecting agency for children through high-quality child-led play, catering for their motivations: Freedom, fun, friends, fluency (mastery) and fantasy (creativity).
What is Joomunjie Land? It is a community backyard and adventure play place and a school-based intervention. A community backyard is a place-based initiative, belonging to the children. It is their backyard. A central place for children to gather. They are encouraged to bring friends, family and do whatever they like in this space, within the boundaries of the rules that they set. The space is filled with loose parts these are items that are open-ended, moveable, and combinable, meaning children can create whatever is important to them. Thus what we see is individualised play expressions.
Community backyards are supervised by local Playworkers trained to grow child-agency, supporting them to feel ownership over the space, as well as empowering children to work through their own problem solving process, and finally, but very importantly, building strong relationships with other children and their families.
Joomunjie Land, located within Eagleby South State School, in a low SES neighbourhood where children on average are expected to have almost triple the levels of developmental vulnerability. Joomunjie Land children are bucking the city, state, national and global trends. These children are healing themselves through child-led play. Such a simple, obvious and cost-effective solution wielding strong results.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Play as a protective factors for mental health
2. What is the community backyard model?
3. Proven simple and cost-effective solution to support healthy child development including positive mental health
Across the globe real-play and agency in childhood is in decline. Correlating are increases in mental health issues for children. Stressors such as anxiety, depression, aggression, negative self-concept and social isolation. However, for the children of Joomunjie Land, childhood is flourishing.
The secret is protecting agency for children through high-quality child-led play, catering for their motivations: Freedom, fun, friends, fluency (mastery) and fantasy (creativity).
What is Joomunjie Land? It is a community backyard and adventure play place and a school-based intervention. A community backyard is a place-based initiative, belonging to the children. It is their backyard. A central place for children to gather. They are encouraged to bring friends, family and do whatever they like in this space, within the boundaries of the rules that they set. The space is filled with loose parts these are items that are open-ended, moveable, and combinable, meaning children can create whatever is important to them. Thus what we see is individualised play expressions.
Community backyards are supervised by local Playworkers trained to grow child-agency, supporting them to feel ownership over the space, as well as empowering children to work through their own problem solving process, and finally, but very importantly, building strong relationships with other children and their families.
Joomunjie Land, located within Eagleby South State School, in a low SES neighbourhood where children on average are expected to have almost triple the levels of developmental vulnerability. Joomunjie Land children are bucking the city, state, national and global trends. These children are healing themselves through child-led play. Such a simple, obvious and cost-effective solution wielding strong results.
Three Key Learnings:
1. Play as a protective factors for mental health
2. What is the community backyard model?
3. Proven simple and cost-effective solution to support healthy child development including positive mental health
Biography
Hyahno Moser is a father of 4 children, a childhood advocate, CEO, community development worker, adventure therapist, youth worker and outdoor educator. He has worked in support of children for over 20 years, connecting them with nature, with each other, with their neighbourhoods, freedom, friends, fun, challenge and mastery.
Hyahno stands in support of children, their rights for freedom, agency, self-expression and to be able to play outdoors where they live. Hyahno has an unwavering focus and dedication to this cause and measures all areas of society from this perspective.
