FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (February 2nd, 2011, Winnipeg, MB) Children in Winnipeg learn about human rights and how to be active in their communities through Play it Fair! On February 2nd, 2011, 28 representatives of 14 different organizations providing after school programming for children and youth in Winnipeg will participate in a new training session that will equip after school staff with the tools to promote children’s rights and participation and to intervene when issues of discrimination or bullying arise. Supported by a grant from the Winnipeg Foundation, participating organizations will learn about Equitas’ Play it Fair! project and how toolkit activities and games can be used to foster better understanding of respect for diversity and inclusion with children aged 6-12. What: Community organizations come together to learn about human rights and children’s participation through Play it Fair! After School When: February 2nd, 2011, from 8:30am to 2:00pm Where: Freight House Boys and Girls Club, Door # 4 -200 Isabel Street, Winnipeg Playing with a Purpose Originally developed by Equitas in Montreal in 2004, Play it Fair! has been a part of Winnipeg day camps since 2006. Each summer Winnipeg’s parks, playing fields and community centres become venues for games that teach about inclusion, respect, cooperation, anti-discrimination and peaceful conflict resolution for more than 2,000 children. This initiative will help to ensure Winnipeg children Play it Fair! all year long. In 2010, 65,000 children participated in Play if Fair! activities in Winnipeg, Victoria, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Moncton, Dieppe and Fredericton, Halifax, and Charlottetown. In 2011, Play it Fair! will be piloted in afterschool programs across the country. One of the reasons Play it Fair! works so well is that the children are having so much fun that they don’t realize they are learning. After playing games around issues children experience inside and outside of school, such as bullying or discrimination, they often take it upon themselves to solve conflicts together and include each other. Local partners see the importance of respecting differences and are using the Play it Fair! toolkit within their programs. “The Play it Fair! Toolkit is such a valuable resource that can impact so many of our youth. With such a diverse population at our clubs, the activities offer a way to promote respect and fairness and help us deal with conflicts through games.” says Gerald Villegas of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Winnipeg. An electronic copy of the Play It Fair! Toolkit is available to download here. Media Contact: Julie Kam Kon King Senior Program Officer, Equitas jkamkonking@equitas.org t: 514 758 5525 / 514 954 0382 x 233<