We’re getting an update on work underway by Project Play: Southeast Michigan, an initiative that launched about a year ago as a three-year effort to build upon recommendations from the State of Play Report, which focused on youth sports participation, access and barriers in the region.

The initiative is a partnership of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan (CFSEM), Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation (RCWJF) and The Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program.

Katie Brisson, vice president, program at CFSEM told CMF that the initiative’s Youth Sports Task Force is currently building plans to address the issues and recommendations that came from the State of Play report.

Snapshot of data from State of Play:

• On average, only 13 percent of kids from Southeast Michigan get in at least 1 hour of physical activity a day, the amount recommended by the CDC.

• Youth sports providers and stakeholders gave Southeast Michigan a “C+” grade in terms of stakeholders getting kids active through sports.

• In the region, youth coaches in urban areas receive far less training than coaches in suburban areas.

• As CMF has reported, while sports and active play can build confidence, the national State of Play report shows that they can also save medical costs. If 50 percent of youth met the active and healthy levels of activity, it’s estimated $20 billion would be saved in direct medical costs.

The task force has held convenings across the region to get input from community members to help inform its work.

Now the initiative has formed diverse workgroups to develop projects to address the three key areas that surfaced from the scan and community feedback:

• Creating a model for sports equipment sharing within communities, as access to equipment is a significant barrier for youth.

• Building quality training for parent/volunteer coaches that is accessible, relevant and focuses on social-emotional needs of youth.

• Identifying opportunities for pro teams to collaborate around all the recommendations made in the scan.

“We decided to start with issues for which we thought we could make an impact in the short-term, with an eye toward the long-term,” Brisson said.

Project Play: Southeast Michigan recently launched its own website, providing a collection of research, resources, recommendations and best practices around engaging children in healthy and active play.

The website also provides resources for parents, including a checklist for youth sports engagement, a tool to assess health benefits of high school sports and more.

Right now CFSEM is accepting grant applications for youth sports projects in the seven counties in the region through RCWJF’s permanently endowed legacy fund held at CFSEM. In the last three years the fund has awarded 40 grants to 29 different organizations.

Brisson said the work of Project Play: Southeast Michigan is just beginning with much more to come.

As CMF has reported, the State of Play research and work led RCWJF and The Aspen Institute to also launch a national initiative, Project Play 2020, to leverage strategies nationwide to increase accessibility to youth sports.