A Place Where All Can Play: The Union’s Fall Campaign
As children, our job was to play. Our parents encouraged us to let loose and simply have fun with games and toys. But as we get older this emphasis on play fades, and instead we focus on balancing school, work, exercise and relationships. The Wisconsin Union wants to bring play back into our adult lives.
Since 1935 when the Board of Regents charged the Wisconsin Union with the recreational welfare of the student population and community, the Union has offered many ways to relax and take a break from studies. This fall the Union introduces a “Play” campaign to help re-energize its responsibility for recreational welfare.
Outdoor UW Assistant Director Joseph Webb had the initial idea for the “Play” campaign, saying he was inspired by children and youth–their movement, social bonding, inquisitive nature and cooperation. Webb noticed how students and working professionals lose these qualities. They become overscheduled and stressed out, focusing on getting ahead in their work. We all have a need and desire to let loose, and the Union is a safe place to do just that.
The campaign encompasses all parts of the Union’s programming, marketing and communication. Marketing Specialist Stephanie Webendorfer, another contributor to the campaign, said focusing on “play” is just a new way of thinking about everything the Union already does.
“We already do a lot of this, it’s just a different way of talking about it and showcasing it,” Webendorfer said.
Play benefits both interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships, as the Union provides opportunities to engage socially with other people as well as de-stress by yourself. You can attend a concert with your friends in Shannon Hall, or work on a painting solo in Wheelhouse Studios. Above all, play means learning outside the classroom.
There is bountiful research on the benefits of play. Numerous studies show that instead of cramming for a big exam, taking breaks and coming back to it is better for learning. Play can re-energize and refresh, and even lead to new creative discoveries and ideas. As Albert Einstein once said, “Play is the highest form of research.”
Learn more about the value of play in life when the Union hosts Playing with Play: An Interactive Discussion on Oct. 11. Following the discussion, Wheelhouse Studios is doing a free pop-up art making event.
