Nike Korea - Playground for All

More than a physical place, in South Korea, a  'Playground' had often been seen as  'Uneven playing field'— a place where the scene of boys dominating the middle of the playground while girls sit on the sidelines is far too common. This past March Nike aimed to create a sport experience which gave a new definition to the playground. Defined by sign-posted rules (모두의 운동장 다섯 가지 규칙) such as ‘BE READY TO ENJOY ANY SPORT’ and ‘SEEK PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION’, Nike’s version of our future inclusive playground—called the Playground for All—brought together kids of different genders, ages, and experience levels to compete against and for each other in reshaping their experiences and perceptions of the playground.

In a place where headlines of an ongoing ‘gender war’ continue to dominate the cultural conversation, there is a growing mentality of us vs. them, women vs. men, girls vs. boys.  From the formative years of young children feel that in many aspects of life, and in sport, your path is predetermined for you. But as true believers in the power of sport, Nike upholds that your place in sport isn’t defined by your gender, experience, or perceived skill set. In fact, we all have something to gain from one another, and a more inclusive sport environment is a point from which we can build from to progress, together.

The resulting film “Playground for All”, documents the experience of these students, capturing all the real moments of trepidation to elation associated with finding their new role, and new voice on the playground built for them. The authenticity comes from the real event at Yongma Middle School, where young girls and boys were invited to play together for the first time. For this event, Nike built the students a new playground structure, designed unique team sport missions and partnered with Nike athletes and comedian Kim Min-kyung to help coach and mentor the students through their first ever inclusive playground experience.