Our Causes

Play UP!

What makes a great playground? Is it a superstar slide with a constant stream of whooshing kids squealing with delight? Or are plentiful swings the drawcard? Do fairy-tale forts that spark imagination make you travel an extra suburb to visit? Or is it plenty of shade to protect young skin from the hot summer sun?

If you think everyone should have a local destination playground then join our Play UP campaign on Facebook and Twitter. It’s an easy way to share the love of play with others around Australia. You can also find out about new playgrounds opening nearby, the latest innovations in playground equipment and lots of other things to inspire you to Play UP.

Why is play important?  

Aside from wearing the kids out so they go to bed at night, there are many benefits of outdoor play:

  • Health. Well-planned playgrounds benefit both bodies and minds. They promote healthy physical exercise, and help children develop their sense of awareness, their ability to empathise, and their intellect.
  • Learning. When children play, they’re learning constantly. They acquire everything from physical skills to social norms. The knowledge children quire through active outdoor play is knowledge that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
  • Social Inclusion. A well-designed playground welcomes all children and unites them in play. The space can connect families in a city or neighbourhood by becoming a meeting place for all, which is important since an active social network increases mental and physical health.
  • Happiness. The local playground is the place where first friendships are made, where kids are free to run and be noisy, where they can play with their mates after school. It’s the place of imagination, fun and squeals of delight. Plus, physical activity releases endorphins, the body’s natural feel good hormones, so kids can’t help but be happy when they’re playing!

Play is our passion. We design, supply and install public playgrounds to keep kids and parents active and outdoors, which we believe will make Australia a healthier, happier place. 

Our Play UP campaign is about listening to what YOU want and revolutionising public spaces one playground at a time; the result being unique, exciting playgrounds that kids love to play on and that the whole community can be proud of. Because every child deserves a great playground.

So what are you waiting for? Play UP!

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Nowhere to Go

The Nowhere to Go campaign is an initiative of the KOMPAN Play Institute and is focussed on increasing awareness and documentation of young people’s need for outdoor leisure and play facilities.

As part of the campaign, the KOMPAN Play Institute conducted a survey among 1,040 Danish youth aged 13-16 regarding their outdoor physical activity patterns.

Here are just a few of the main findings from this survey:

58% want more places where they can meet other young people locally
40% believe there are too few outdoor places locally where they can be physically active
60% are most active outdoors after school on weekdays
Only 5% are active outside in the afternoons at weekends

Outdoor places are attractive if:

  •  there are lots of opportunities for activities (68%) 
  • there are lots of young people (61%)
  • the place is secure and tidy (55%)

In a playground, the most-used apparatus is as follows:

  • Agility tracks (65%) unisex
  • Swings (63%) mostly girls
  • Climbing apparatus (48%) unisex
  • Ball pitches (46%) predominantly boys
  • Skater ramps (34%) overwhelmingly boys
  • Spinning apparatus (29%) predominantly girls

Source: Fich Jespersen, J. (2007), Survey of teenagers’ physical activity behaviour.

Read more results from the survey of teenagers’ physical activity behaviour.