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COVID-19 Update: The 2020 Planning Committee has made the decision to postpone the Play Illinois Summit due to the developing and ongoing situation with COVID-19.  A new date will be announced once further discussions take place.  Please check the website for more details.

Call for Abstracts

Now accepting submissions for presentations and poster sessions.  The deadline to submit is Friday, March 20 at 12:00 PM CST.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS PROSPECTUS

2020 Call for Abstracts Timeline

  • Friday, March 20 (12:00 PM CST): Call for abstracts link closes
  • Friday, March 27:  Applicants will be notified regarding their acceptance & receive the Accepted Speaker Form
  • Friday, April 3 (8:00 AM CST):  Accepted Speaker Form due 

SUBMIT NOW

Sports and organized play can and have been used to address the most critical challenges facing youth and their communities: declining sense of belonging and community, childhood obesity, academic failure, and the lure of high-risk behaviors like gang participation and drug use.  Whereas traditional youth sports programs mirror the dominant American professional sports tenets of competition and winning, sprouting across the nation are programs with the goal of improving health while building community and social capital through sports and play among youth.   These programs approach community problems through sports by emphasizing on “youth development” and as a result are labeled Sports-Based Youth Development programs. Some people intuitively understand the power of sports as a tool for teaching the lessons youth need to be successful in life and capitalizing on youth passion for sports is a logical vehicle for those lessons.

The Planning Committee for the inaugural "Play Illinois: A Sports and Public Health Summit"  invite community-based organizations, youth sports coaches, physical education teachers, and other sports/play program practitioners to showcase and share their experiences, best practices, and/or other resources that advance the field of Sports-Based Youth Development.  The Summit Planning Committee is particularly interested in highlighting programs that:

  • Prove and have a track record for fostering educational, health, and/or behavioral outcomes;
  • Demonstrate tools, resources, and/or best practices that are replicable and scalable; and/or
  • Prioritize youth participants from underserved communities 

We highly value abstracts that:

  • Incorporate physical activity and offer a hands-on component to practice skills;
  • Provide activities that enable small group discussion and peer learning;
  • Inquire about and value participant experience in the topic; and
  • Allow enough time for questions, sharing of challenges, and ideas.

We welcome abstracts related to the following areas:

  • Sports and Community Health
  • Girls and Sports
  • Inclusive Programming
  • Sports for Emotional and Mental Health

Share your knowledge and experience by submitting an abstract for a Concurrent Session or Poster Presentation.  Participating as a presenter provides an opportunity to:

  • Be part of a state-wide event attended by a broad array of nearly 300 individuals
  • Network with your peers
  • Gain exposure for yourself and your organization to an engaged audience
  • Contribute to a growing body of knowledge  
2020-03-24T16:13:13.857-05:00 2020