Kindergarteners Lead Campaign for Creating Safe Spaces to Play in Bronzeville

At It Takes A Village Leadership Academy (ITAV LA) Ms. Nolen’s kindergarten class is an example of young learners making an impact in their community. As part of their Grassroots Campaign, the class has been working to solve a problem they identified early in the school year– a lack of safe spaces for children to play in their neighborhoods. 

Their solution is to design and propose a playground for the Bronzeville campus– open to the entire community. This project gives them a voice in shaping their environment and deepens their learning through hands-on experiences that teach them about collaboration, design, and community involvement.

The GRC process for kindergarten through 8th grade involves a teacher-led analysis of a community problem and root causes, the identification of potential allies, and creating an action plan. 

One of the allies identified by Ms. Nolen’s class is Lynsey Sorrell, an architect with 25 years experience. On Wednesday, April 23rd, these 5 and 6-year olds welcomed Lynsey, who joined the students to discuss their proposed designs for the new playground.

During the 45-minute session, the children were introduced to three different playground concepts, each featuring exciting play equipment. With Lynsey’s guidance, the students offered their thoughts on the designs and helped decide which features they believed were most important. 

Anita Andrews-Hutchinson, ITAV’s co-founder, Darren Hobbs, Director of Real Estate Development, and Dayo Harris, VP of Curriculum, Culture, and Development, were present to support the class and learn what is most important to them. The energy in the room was palpable as students spoke up about their favorite features, from basketball courts and zip lines to trike paths, helping the architects refine the final design concepts.

Grassroots Campaigns benefit our students in tangible ways– developing essential leadership skills by encouraging critical thinking, developing public speaking abilities, planning and executing programs, and participating in presentations and interdisciplinary activities.

In just two days, the kindergarteners would be venturing out to the Village of Rosemont Park District, another community partner, to give their presentation. Lynsey’s visit ended with a practice run. The students stood facing their audience and delivered their memorized lines, gestures, and movements with precision. 

On Friday, April 25th, the students presented their GRC work to the Rosemont Park District, advocating for the donation of new playground equipment. This was a pivotal moment in their campaign, empowering them to take ownership of the process and amplify their voices in a way that will have a lasting impact.

ITAV knows the future is now by demonstrating its commitment to developing socially conscious, responsible citizens from an early age, even young children can contribute to creating a better future. Ms. Nolen’s Kindergarten class is gaining valuable skills in problem-solving, advocacy, and leadership. 

ITAV is proud to support their efforts and looks forward to seeing their dream playground become a reality. We’re incredibly proud of Ms. Nolen’s class for their dedication, creativity, and hard work, and we can’t wait to see their designs come to life on our campus.

Lines  from Ms. Nolen’s kindergarten GRC presentation.

Phoebe: “We realized we need safe spaces for kids to play.”

Legend: “We are working towards a new park for our school.”

Abdul: “Why is it important?”

Amina: “We don’t have safe places to play.”

Kaja: “Playgrounds help us grow strong and healthy.”

Jidenna: “They help our imaginations bloom!”

Amina: “They help us become more confident in ourselves.” 

Ifeoluwa: “Playgrounds helps us make new friends.”

Richard: “We learn problem-solving too.”

Noah: “We created a blueprint of our dream playground with Mr. Reed and Ms. Baty.”

Kayode: “We applied for a park with KABOOM!”

Phoebe: “But they didn’t have enough money.”

Kaja: “The plan is to fundraise with ITAV!” 

Ife: We are thinking about ways to make money. 

Richard: Our idea is to host a movie night at our school.

Oba: We made a budget. (Holds up paper)

Lydia: This is just one way we hope to make money. 

Jonathan: We have more work to do…

Contact Information:
Brandie Booker

Marketing Communications Strategist 

312-868-0588

bbooker@itavschools.org