Project Play

Project Play is an initiative of the Aspen Institute Romania, organized in partnership with the Romanian Olympic
and Sports Committee and the Professional Football League, aiming to support the healthy development of
children between 5 and 12 years, through sport and physical activity.

Background
Available data indicate the need to adopt measures supporting children to practice sport and physical activities.
Scientific research established that 90% of the teenagers are spending more than 8 hours watching tv daily, surfing
the internet and playing video games. Meanwhile, 25.7% of the children have not experienced a healthy
development, while between 2010 2014 the frequency of sustained physical activity continued to decrease.
There is an evident need to support the healthy development of children and to prevent physical inactivity and
obesity, factors which increase the risk of occurrence of cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, orthopedic injuries and
reduce the quality of life, putting individuals' lives at risk and a burden on health budgets and the economy.
Romanian society needs to increase its awareness regarding the importance of physical literacy of children, a term
defined as the ability, confidence and desire to be active for life, based on the proven connection between the
development of motor skills at an early age and habits of physical activity through adolescence and into adulthood.

Project description and objectives

Project Play is an exercise of reflection for leaders, aiming to provide the needed framework and instruments to
contribute to healthy children and communities, through sport and physical activities. The project offers a platform
for dialogue between public decision makers, from central and local level, and leaders from the private sector, civil
society and academia. The main objective of Project Play is to initiate, until 2020, a process of physical literacy
development of children between 5 and 12 years, aiming to stimulate their ability, confidence and desire to be
active for life. Within this project public policy initiatives will be proposed aiming to:
Increase the opportunities to practice sport and physical activities through better access to appropriate
facilities.
Recognize physical literacy as a national priority.
Raise the attractiveness of sport among children.

Key deliverables
Launch of Project Play, on 7 December 2017, at the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, in the
presence of multiple stakeholders from the public, private, and non-governmental sectors. The main
objective of the event is to present the project and identify key stakeholders which will be represented in
the project task force.
Two thematic workshops on major topics, issuing key policy recommendations.
An international public conference in Bucharest, presenting the results of the project, in the context of the
Great Union Centennial.
White Paper with recommendations to the relevant decision-makers.