Dr. Eun-Young Lee Presents at Queen’s University Thrive Week 2025
Dr. Eun-Young Lee presented at Queen’s University’s 2025 Thrive Week—a campus-wide initiative themed “Thrive Together: Cultivating Connection, Inclusivity, and Community.”
Presentation Title: Everyone Thrives Playing Actively Outdoors: 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play
Presentation Details: The 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play: Advancing Inclusion and Mental Health (Thrive Week)
Come and learn more from the work that Dr. Lee has done on advancing inclusion and mental health through outdoor play. This project celebrates a decade’s worth of global evidence on active outdoor play and includes an exploration of the relationships between active outdoor play and climate change, nature and the environment, education and learning, community and human connection, movement behaviours, health and wellbeing, and finally human rights and policy. Amongst the themes explored, the Statement also includes robust recommendations for international action across sectors, such as how play can foster a lifelong sense of environmental responsibility and care.
The 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play redefines play as a shared human experience essential to individual and planetary well-being. This presentation will highlight how the updated Statement expands the focus beyond children to embrace people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Grounded in current evidence, it emphasizes the role of inclusive outdoor environments in fostering belonging, resilience, and mental health in a changing climate. Key themes include equitable access to nature, reducing barriers for marginalized populations, and integrating mental, social, and spiritual well-being, in addition to physical, as a central outcome of active outdoor play. By connecting health promotion, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion, the Statement provides a roadmap for policymakers, educators, and community leaders to create spaces where everyone can play, connect, and thrive outdoors.
In this presentation, Dr. Lee highlighted the key messages from the 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to outdoor play opportunities for all age groups and communities. Their talk emphasized how active outdoor play fosters mental health, social connection, and climate resilience—core elements of thriving together.
