The Play Your Way Initiative – A Plan to Improve Baltimore City

In November of 2020,

Tayla Chambers and Jayda Harris, both High School students at Baltimore City College, were awarded $10,000 in funding for their program, The Play Your Way Initiative.

When Tayla and Jayda first applied to Philanthropy Tank, they reported that in 2019, Baltimore City only operated 43 recreation centers compared to the 70 recreation centers opened in the 1970s.

The alarming statistic motivated Tayla and Jayda to act! The girls developed The Play Your Way Initiative with one main goal:

Prevent and reduce violence and crime amongst Baltimore’s inner-city youth by providing them with a safe place for recreational activities.

“We hope that The Play Your Way Initiative provides people with a sense of happiness and a place of relaxation. We hope that our program can reduce the amount of crime happening in the area. We want to provide kids with a safe place to play and to enjoy their childhood.” – Tayla and Jada, 2020 Philanthropy Tank – Baltimore Finalists

Tayla and Jayda are working with the Kaboom/Carmax Foundation to bring their idea to fruition. They have held meetings with the Kaboom/Carmax Foundation, government officials, and other local community leaders and members to get their buy-in for the concept.

For the teens, it’s essential that the community plays a large role in the development of the playground.

The girls are currently concentrated in the Sandtown-Winchester, Baltimore area, but they look to expand to more regions in the future.

If you are interested in helping Tayla and Jayda to fulfill their mission to build a playground for Baltimore’s inner-city youth, please contact us by clicking below.

“Baltimore youth are often blamed for many problems and find themselves as targets of anger, frustration and fear. They can get blamed for crimes and ‘squeegee kids’ often scare people away.”

Jayne Miller, WBAL (Click for Original Article)

Miller, Jayne. “Decline in Rec Centers Could Be to Blame for Baltimore Youth Violence.” WBAL, WBAL | Hearst, 31 July 2019, www.wbaltv.com/article/decline-in-rec-centers-could-be-to-blame-for-baltimore-youth-violence/28565015#.