Park Players
(Positive Leaders Among Youth)

The Park PLAYers, starting in 1993 by Rockford Area Lutheran Ministries, is a recreational summer conflict management playground program designed to teach at-risk teens and children conflict-resolution and non-violence prevention skills. 

1. To learn, teach, and role model positive conflict management-learning. There is a week of training before the children attend where teens learn team building skills, prepare games and practice dramas that teach conflict resolution.

2. Provide Job training and readiness; learn leadership and life building skills; and hear from community leaders about various roles.

3. Over the past 25 years, Park Players has interacted with almost 8800 children. Children from area childcare agencies, community centers, and park programs can either come to Patriots or we will go to their site to learn conflict management skills and games led by the teens.

4. Over the past 25 years, Park Players has training over 225 teens

5. Children can be brought to Patriots from various agencies to experience the program on Wednesday afternoons. These agencies include the park district, community centers, summer camps, child care centers and other agencies throughout the city

6. In 2021, Patriots and RALM partnered to continue Park Players at Patriots.

Questions about Park Players?

Contact Malika Miller

Park Players Coordinator

parkplayers@patriotsgateway.org

Patriots Gateway Community Center

815-967-0413  x15

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