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.