LEARN MORE/REGISTER FOR Feb. 9th Girls Day of P.L.A.Y
Chicago Park District Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative
Launched in 2018, the Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative works to expand opportunities for girls in sports and ensure that young women have equal access to recreational offerings in their communities. Through programming, special events, and camps we focus on providing opportunities for girls to create life-long healthy physical activity habits.
Why a Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative?
Nearly 67% percent of the women surveyed in the Always ‘Like a Girl’ Study said that they felt society doesn’t encourage girls to play sports. However, girls who play sports not only feel more confident but are more likely to show improvements in physical and mental health, academic achievement, and self-esteem. Through sports, girls learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and confidence.
Girls participate less than boys.
Girls' participation rates in sports lag behind those of boys at all ages. They experience a great decline in physical activity than boys as they grow up—and are three to four times as likely to drop out of sports. African American and Hispanic girls enter sports at a later average age and drop out earlier than their counterparts, leaving girls of color with an even narrower window of opportunity.
Girls face social and cultural barriers to sports.
Due to conflicting societal messages about femininity and athleticism, girls are considered “outsiders” in sports and physical activity contexts, and boys dominate both informal and organized physical sports spaces.
But girls need sports—maybe even more than boys.
The need for an outlet for girls is high. Thirty-one percent of girls and young women experience symptoms of anxiety, while only 13% of boys do. (Damour, 2020) The number of teenage girls who said they often felt nervous, worried, or fearful jumped by 55% from 2009 to 2012; but it didn’t change for boys. And girls between the ages of twelve and seventeen are now three times more likely than boys to become depressed. Between 2005 and 2014, the percentage of teenage girls experiencing depression increased from 13 to 17 %. In the same time period, that statistic moved from 5% to 6% for boys. A larger portion of 13- to 17-year-old girls report feeling tense or nervous every day or “almost” every day (36% for girls vs. 23% for boys).
SOURCE: Damour, L. (2020). Under pressure: confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls. Ballantine Books.
Upcoming Programs
Girls Day of P.L.A.Y. - Friday, February 9, 2024
- A day of sports, arts & crafts, and fun
- For girls ages 6-12 (ages vary at some parks)
- 9 am - 3 pm (times vary at some parks)
- CPS Day Out of School
- 19 parks across the city (see locations on map below)
- Free!
- To Register:
Click on the button below to see a list of all sites & register, or click on your preferred location from the map below and click on the registration link for that park.
REGISTER FOR GIRLS DAY OF P.L.A.Y.
- 2023 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- February 3, 2023, hosted 18 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 1,077 girls participating
- October 27, 2023 hosted 20 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 914 girls participating
Girls P.L.A.Y Summer 2023
- Hosted First Annual Move Like a Girl fest
- Total of 8 parks participated
- 90 girls in attendance
- Partnered with Bowa Gives to provide track and field clinic
- Partnered with Chicago Union, Professional Ultimate Frisbee team
All Girls Track and Field Meet (Partnership with Bowa Gives)
- November 18th & 19th
- 110 participants Citywide
Presented the Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative at the NRPA Conference in Dallas
3 day- Winter Softball Clinic partnered with Triton College- Over 90 girls in attendance
Girls Boxing Show @ Eckhart Park
- Over 20 female boxers fought in exhibition matches
Brooks Park & Olympia Park – 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament- 100 Girls participated in grades 4th – 8th
Fencing Clinic @ Broadway Park- 60 girls in attendance
- 2022 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- January 28th, hosted 20 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 560 girls participating
- October 21st, hosted 18 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 649 girls participating
- Girl’s P.L.A.Y summer camps, 2 or 6-week options, offered at 20, with 1,474 girls participating
- Boxing
- Archery
- Partnership with Girls in the Game
- KIPP Program
- December 15th, hosted an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX becoming law in the United States. The event included a mix of speakers, panels, breakout sessions, and opportunities for community building. 120 people attended, representing 30 organizations.
- 2021 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- February 2021, hosted a virtual event to honor National Women and Girls in Sports with over 100 participants attending via zoom
- November 2021, hosted in-person events at 18 locations servicing 609 girls between the ages of 6-13 citywide
- Girl’s P.L.A.Y camps, 2 or 6-week options, offered at 24 locations servicing 538 girls citywide
- Girls P.L.A.Y Winter Break camps; hosted at 9 locations servicing 96 girls citywide
- Female Focused Non-Profit Organization
- Girls in the Game
- Chicago Park District Athletics Unit
- Kickboxing and Boxing Clinics
- Law Enforcement: Federal and Local
- U.S. Marshals
- Chicago Police Department
- Medical/Healthcare
- Pediatric Dermatologist
- Nurse
- NIKE & Chicago Park District: Ambassador Program. Nine staff members were trained for a duration of 6-weeks, to lead and support the 2021 Virtual Girls Day of Play event in February 2021.
- 2020 Accomplishments
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- Hosted annual Girls Day of P.L.A.Y. in honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day with over 500 girls participating citywide.
- Hosted a Girl’s Flag Football clinic for girls in 5th-8th grade in preparation for the CPS SCORE Flag Football season.
- In partnership with Nike & We Coach, we trained 150 Chicago Park District staff through the Chicago Coaches Girls Initiative about best practices in creating girl-friendly spaces and how to keep girls in programs.
- Girls Equity/Gender Equity Out of School Time Committee was formed to dedicate efforts to increase opportunity.