We're proud to announce $186,000 in funding to support 10 community-led projects across the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Regionthrough Free to Play, a growing national movement to bring outdoor, child-led play back into the everyday lives of children.
The funded projects will create more opportunities for children to move, imagine, explore, connect, and play their own way outdoors. Projects range from nature play spaces and land-based learning to community-led outdoor programming.
To learn more about any of the projects below or connect with project leaders, email brooke@clayoquotbiosphere.org.
$19 000 / Adaptive Ocean and Outdoor Play / Surf's Up for Autism Society
This project will provide meaningful, supported outdoor experiences for children and youth with disabilities and other significant support needs, helping to reduce isolation for neurodivergent youth in small and rural communities. It will create inclusive access to the ocean and outdoor environments. Through adaptive, child-led activities, participants are supported to try new experiences in ways that feel safe, enjoyable, and achievable for them. By following each child’s lead, the program builds confidence, independence, and a sense of accomplishment. Time spent outdoors supports both physical and mental well-being, while shared experiences foster connection and belonging.
$15 600 / Enhancing Outdoor Play Space and Exploring Nature / Oceanside Sprouts Early Learning Society
This project will enhance outdoor play opportunities for children in a wet climate by creating flexible, movable shelter spaces that can be used by children of all ages. It will include purchasing tents to support exploration of the surrounding community, introducing a workshop bench, and expanding storage. Additional supports include providing rain gear, building a greenhouse for gardening activities, and offering professional development for staff to strengthen their understanding and support of risky play.
$25 000 / Expanding Outdoor and Land-Based Play Spaces in Tofino / Wickaninnish Community School
This project will enhance outdoor play at t̓aatn̓aʔałuk (Taking Care of Children Centre/TTC) and Wickaninnish Community School through three connected initiatives: a covered mud kitchen at TCC, a sheltered “base camp” near the school forest, and improvements to the hillside play area. These covered structures will support year-round outdoor play in the West Coast climate, allowing children to move freely between open and protected spaces. The hillside will be co-designed with students and shaped using natural materials and Indigenous plantings. Together, these spaces will expand opportunities for child-led, nature-based play during school, after school, and in the wider community.
$9 000 / Free to Play in Ucluelet / Pacific Rim Arts Society
This project will give free opportunities for children to explore parks, trails, beaches, and vacant land in Ucluelet on their own terms. Activities will be designed by children, daily engaging in a democratic decision-making process. Children will be encouraged to challenge themselves, take risks, socially and physically. Educators' intervention will be minimal, balanced with prompts about mindfulness and care of oneself, others, and the world around.
$10 000 / Free to Play on the West Coast - A Collaborative Approach / District of Tofino
This project aims to increase awareness, understanding, and support for risky play across the West Coast by providing professional development, training, and practical resources for early years and school-age educators, organizations, families, and communities. Activities include workshops, communication tools that help share the benefits of outdoor play, and facilitated discussions between childcare providers and licensing officers. By building knowledge and confidence among those who support children, the project will help reduce barriers to risky play and create more opportunities for children to explore, take appropriate risks, build resilience, and learn through play.
$20 000 / nism̓a to hiłc̓aatuu (Land to Open Ocean) / mułaa Rising Tide Surf Society
This youth-led program uses surfing, beach exploration, and land-based activities to connect participants with the ocean and land in meaningful, hands-on ways. Youth choose the activities that interest them most and are supported by mentors and access to equipment as they build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills. mułaa weaves nuučaan̓uł (Nuu-chah-nulth) language and cultural teachings into each session, strengthening identity and connection to territory while fostering wellness, belonging, and respect for land and ocean.
$27 500 / Outside All Day, Every Day! / Ucluelet and Area Child Care Society
This project will create a safe, engaging outdoor play space where children can explore, learn, and connect through play while being protected from West Coast weather. The space will feature a natural, play-based environment with open-ended materials and areas for physical activity, creativity, and quiet exploration.
$20 500 / Play Bold, Grow Brave / Ucluelet Elementary School
This project will create a dedicated outdoor play area at Ucluelet Elementary School where children can explore, take appropriate risks, and play freely. The space will include natural cedar fencing that can also be used for play and climbing, as well as a large turf area designed for active, rough-and-tumble play. An accessible communication board will also be installed to help non-speaking students participate, communicate, and engage more fully in the space.
$17 500 / Transportation for Afterschool Programs / Wickaninnish Community School
The community school offers a variety of programming, including drop-in lunch programs, afterschool programs, and community youth sports. This project provides a bus service that helps children from geographically diverse communities access these opportunities. Removing transportation barriers will create time, space, and freedom for outdoor play while bringing young people together to learn, connect, and participate in community activities.
$21 900 / Ucluelet’s Unstructured Play Park / District of Ucluelet
This project will create an unstructured outdoor play park next to the Ucluelet Community Centre, making use of a naturally treed area close to community amenities. The park will be developed in phases, starting with a picnic and gathering area near the skate park, followed by trail clearing and the addition of features such as a rope swing, mud play area, and loose parts for creative play. A final phase will preserve a more natural space where children can shape their own play environment.
This investment is part of Free to Play, a national initiative led by Community Foundations of Canada and powered locally by participating community foundations across the country. Seeded by support from Waltons Trust, with additional support from The Lawson Foundation and Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, Free to Play is helping communities reimagine childhood by creating the conditions for more outdoor play, curiosity, risk-taking, and belonging.
“Free to Play is about more than outdoor play, it’s about equity, imagination, and curiosity,” says Brooke Wood, Director of Community Initiatives at the Clayoquot Biosphere Trust. “We’re excited to work with local partners to get children outside exploring, imagining, and connecting.”
The CBT is grateful to take part in Free to Play. As the local community foundation, we work to care for and invest in the well-being of the region by supporting local projects and organizations. Through Free to Play, the CBT ensured funding reached local groups that help children spend more time playing outside, exploring nature, and staying active. To distribute these grants, we used a participatory grantmaking process, where applicants came together to help shape funding recommendations. This approach centered lived experience, strengthened transparency, and supported more community-informed decision-making.
We are calling on local donors, businesses, governments, and community partners to join us in expanding outdoor play opportunities for children in the region.
By joining Free to Play, partners can help:
To learn more about partnership opportunities, contact Brooke Wood at brooke@clayoquotbiosphere.org.
