About

Breath of Fresh Air

An Outdoor Play Summit for thought leaders to connect and share their passion for outdoor play

Breath of Fresh Air is a three-day Outdoor Play Summit where thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers can connect and share best practices.

This national outdoor play event takes place in an open air environment. It features inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, and open conversations on the future of outdoor play in Canada and abroad.

Breath of Fresh Air is organized by Outdoor Play Canada (OPC) in partnership with Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group (HALO), the International Play Association (IPA) – Canada chapter and the National Institute for Play.

OPC is committed to promoting, protecting, and preserving access to play in nature and the outdoors for all people by championing an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable approach informed by JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) principles. For the BOFA Summit, this means:

Prioritizing the safety of all participants, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, feels valued, respected, and safe in outdoor spaces
Fostering environments where justice, equity, and inclusion are not just ideals, but active practices that inform our decisions and interactions
A commitment to deepening Indigenous involvement, so that Indigenous voices are not only heard but woven into planning, advisement, and leadership
Addressing Truth and Reconciliation and striving to decolonize outdoor play, in an effort to honour Indigenous knowledge, history, and traditions
A commitment to transparency and accountability with clear communication being at the heart of our efforts to foster trust, collaboration, and lasting change.

Through these principles, we aim to create a future where play outdoors and in nature is accessible, inclusive, and supportive for all people, especially those from equity-denied communities.

This is in alignment with the action items identified within the Outdoor Play in Canada: 2021 State of the Sector Report priority on Advocating for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Outdoor Play.

BoFA 2025 Organizing Committee

Paula ter Huurne - Chair

Paula is a Registered Early Childhood Educator, outdoor enthusiast, and lifelong learner; she has a diploma in Early Childhood Education from Algonquin College, completing her final practicum in New Zealand studying the Te Whāriki curriculum and an Honours degree in Linguistics with a Concentration in Psycholinguistics and Communication Disorders from Carleton University. Paula has over a decade of experience working with children and families in diverse early learning and community settings. She is also a dedicated Camp Quality volunteer, serving pediatric oncology families, with experience in providing outdoor programs, fundraising, and event coordinating. Paula is passionate about equitable social change, environmental stewardship, language-rich environments for young children, and outdoor opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.

Louise de Lannoy - Co-chair

Louise completed her PhD at Queen’s University in clinical exercise physiology. Her interests in population health and knowledge translation led her to join the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Team at the CHEO Research Institute where she became involved in and helped grow Outdoor Play Canada into the not-for-profit organization it is today. Louise is passionate about environmental stewardship, finding daily joy and wonder outdoors, and thinking creatively and collaboratively about whole-of-community challenges. She can’t believe her luck in finding such a joyous, satisfying, and playful form of work that aligns almost magically with these passions. Outside of OPC, Louise enjoys exploring Ottawa by running, cycling and skiing through it and winding down at the end of the day on the couch with a glass of wine, her partner Jeff, and their geriatric puppy.

Lynn Campanella - General Member

Lynn is a play and recess specialist. As a play and recess specialist, Lynn has been passionate about offering sustainable and effective procedures and strategies to school boards and municipalities that promote and nurture authentic play on and off the recess playground for over a decade. Lynn serves as the VP for IPA Canada and has chaired several related events, including the Ontario Physical Literacy Summit (the longest-running physical literacy conference in the world!). Lynn organized and led the Hamilton Play Days and has contributed articles to magazines and newspapers in both Canada and the US.

Alessia Capone - General Member

Alessia (she/her) is a second year PhD student working under the supervision of Dr. Kelly Arbour-Nicitopoulos in the ADAPT Lab at the University of Toronto, in collaboration with the CCOP. Alessia received a Master of Professional Kinesiology (MPK) at the University of Toronto in 2022.

Emily Collins - General Member

I am a registered early childhood educator with experience that has spanned over a decade, covered an array of philosophies, and carried me across our beautiful country. I have been so lucky to study and work in Reggio Emilia, Montessori, and Forest & Nature School inspired environments in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Kenora, and now Ottawa. In my current role as Assistant Program Coordinator at Forest Explorers, my aim is to share my passion and curiosity in order to help build a high-quality child-led & nature-based program alongside our children and educators.

Ipek Epikmen - General Member

Ipek Epikmen (M.Sc.A.) holds a master’s in Environmental Design from Université de Montréal and a bachelor’s in Urban Studies from Concordia University. A passionate advocate for play—anytime, anywhere, for anybody—Ipek has worked as a playworker and researcher, focusing her Master’s thesis on unstructured outdoor play in Montreal’s green public spaces through a lens of affordances. She has contributed to initiatives promoting children’s rights to participation, play, and independent mobility in cities, and is thrilled to join the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play as the new Fellow. Her interests span from play and affordance theories to the accessibility and appropriation of public and natural spaces by children and communities.

A proud champion of hide-and-seek, she loves gardening, talking to neighbourhood cats, and chilling in Montreal parks.

Ipek Epikmen (M.Sc.A.) est diplômée de la maîtrise en aménagement de l’Université de Montréal et détient un baccalauréat en études urbaines de l’Université Concordia.
Passionnée par le jeu — partout, tout le temps, pour tout le monde — Ipek a travaillé comme facilitatrice de jeu et chercheuse, centrant son mémoire sur le jeu libre en plein air dans les espaces publics végétalisés de Montréal à travers le prisme des affordances. Elle a participé à plusieurs initiatives promouvant les droits des enfants à la participation, au jeu et à la mobilité indépendante en milieu urbain, et est ravie de rejoindre le Centre canadien pour le jeu en plein air en tant que nouvelle boursière. Ses intérêts vont des théories du jeu et des affordances à l’accessibilité et à l’appropriation des espaces publics et naturels par les enfants et les communautés. Championne de cache-cache, elle aime jardiner, parler aux chats du quartier et flâner dans les parcs de Montréal.

Bayan Kaid - General Member

Hi, I’m Bayan, and I’m the Research Fellow with Outdoor Play Canada! I am currently completing my one-year fellowship, supporting Outdoor Play Canada and assisting on projects related to the Canadian Centre of Outdoor Play (CCOP). I am a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) and a graduate of the Bachelor of Early Learning and Community Development (BELCD) program. I hold diplomas in Advertising and Marketing Communications Management, as well as Early Childhood Education. I have worked with children and families from diverse backgrounds for the past decade and I have loved every minute of it. During my free time, I enjoy being active, being outside, creating graphic designs, and spending quality time with my family and friends. I am driven by a passion for learning, growing, and creating environments where everyone feels included, supported, celebrated, and welcomed. I consistently and actively strive to instill a sense of belonging in those around me through research, active listening, dialogue, and prioritizing Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and applying a de-colonization lens in my practice and daily life. I hold a profound appreciation and deep respect for the outdoors, continually finding myself in awe of the wonders of nature.

Maeghan James - General Member

Maeghan is a post-doctoral fellow with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group working under the supervision of Dr. Mark Tremblay at the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP). Maeghan completed her PhD at the University of Toronto where her research program focused on understanding the role of parents for supporting children’s motor development and physical activity during early childhood. Maeghan’s current research focuses on the promotion of inclusive outdoor active play for all children and understanding the impact of outdoor play on holistic development and well-being in the early years. Maeghan is passionate about promoting physical activity and play among children of all abilities and has had the privilege to work with and learn from children and youth for over 10 years. Maeghan strives to engage and partner with children, families and community members to conduct meaningful and impactful research. Outside of her work with HALO and CCOP, Maeghan enjoys spending time outdoors by cycling, playing sports, walking her dog Eddie and camping.

Priya Mistry - General Member

Priya is a fourth-year undergraduate student at Queen’s University pursuing a BAH with Professional Internship, Health Studies, with a minor in Psychology.

Tammy Potter - General Member

I am a RECE and Forest Practitioner. In my role, I am a leader, educator, learner, and collaborator who is passionate about quality early learning in the outdoors.

My current position is as a Supervisor for Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, Licensed Forest Explorers Early Learning and The Ottawa Forest and Nature School.

Why Outdoor Play?

Outdoor play has many benefits for children’s growth and development – mentally, physically, emotionally, socially, and environmentally.

But play doesn’t end when you stop being a child. Play, and the many benefits it brings, is for everyone!

We are passionate about promoting, protecting, and preserving access to play in nature and the outdoors for all people.