Calling Families Canada members! Use your exclusive member discount for this great event!
The Breath of Fresh Air Summit is a three-day Outdoor Play Summit where thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers connect to share best practices. The summit is led by Outdoor Play Canada (OPC), a national organization that brings together advocates, practitioners, researchers, and partner organizations to promote, protect, and preserve access to play in nature and the outdoors for all people living in Canada, in partnership with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute and Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, to be held at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, Ontario from September 27-29, 2023.
Research, policy, and practice – their intersections for the promotion of outdoor play
The theme for this year’s summit is “Research, policy, and practice – their intersections for the promotion of outdoor play.’ The summit will feature inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and open conversations on how research, policy, and practice may promote and shape the future of outdoor play in Canada and abroad. OPC will also have an on-site caterer who will provide healthy and nutritious meals! OPC has flexible rate options, including our regular rate, group, booth, and student rates.
The Event Schedule
On Wednesday September 27, 2023, the first day of the summit, OPC will begin with a welcome address by Outdoor Play Canada, the keynote delivered by Dr. Mariana Brussoni on the evolution of risky play in Canada, speed greeting sessions, a scavenger hunt and finally a bonfire in the evening. We will also have special film viewing of Susannah Heath-Eves’s “Take It Outside: Beyond Classroom Walls.”
On Thursday September 28, 2023, OPC will have a full day of interactive presentations, workshops, and panel discussions including a panel on the protection of green spaces and licensing of outdoor ECE. OPC will also be hosting the OPC Awards Ceremony as well as the unveiling and tour(s) of the Forest Explorers building and the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play! The second day will conclude with a sing along and fireside chat!
Finally, on Friday September 29, 2023, OPC will kick off the morning with walk and talk learning sessions, storytelling with the Ottawa Forest and Nature School, and interactive presentations including an exciting panel on the future of outdoor play in Canada!
Call for Volunteers!
Are you looking for a way to give back to your community, while surrounded by nature and nature-loving folk? Then the Breath of Fresh Air Summit is the event for you! OPC will need your help in planning, promoting, scheduling, setting up, answering questions, guiding attendees, and other tasks. Reach out to OPC at info@outdoorplaycanada.ca to find out how your skills can help make this event a success!
Join Us!
If you would like to learn more about Outdoor Play Canada, please click here! Families Canada members get 10% off the Breath of Fresh Air Summit! Visit your member portal to access the discount code.
