Volunteers build community playground at ACCESS Youth and Family Services Center. More than 3,200 youth under age 24 live within a one-mile radius of the center. PHOTO: Natasha Dado/TAAN

DEARBORN — The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) Youth and Family office now includes an outdoor playground designed by 25 children who sketched out detailed visions of a playground in May during Design Day at ACCESS. The sketches were submitted to manufacturers who made designs based on the children’s requests.

“We started out by having youth come together and design their ideal playground, and we also had their parents involved in the process.  We brought them into ACCESS and asked them if they could have any playground what would they choose, and what would they include in it? They drew it out for us and presented it to the rest of the class,” ACCESS youth and education director Anisa Sahoubah said.

Volunteers from the community, organizers from ACCESS, KaBOOM and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation began building the playground Saturday July 24 at 8:30 a.m. and were expected to finish by the ribbon cutting ceremony at 2:30 p.m.

“Our hope is that the volunteers are going to come together today. Not only are they going to make a physically amazing place for kids to play, but they’re going to have a really empowering experience where they themselves change their community for the better,” KaBOOM project manager Kathryn Lusk said. KaBOOM is a non-profit dedicated to building play areas with participation from community leaders and members. To date KaBOOM has built over 1750 new playgrounds.

The Knight Foundation sponsors projects that advance the quality of life in communities. The playground is one of thirteen in the U.S. being supported by the Knight Foundation this year.  ACCESS organizers say the playground is also a place for families to gather and socialize. It includes benches, picnic tables and new landscaping.

“One of the community members described the event. She said this is the gift that keeps on giving,” Sahoubah said.  According to ACCESS Executive Director Hassan Jaber more than 3,200 youth under age 24 live within a one-mile radius of the office. The structure, Imagination Playground in a Box, is among the park’s several attractions. It includes sand, water and custom designed blue blocks that can be taken apart. The box is unstructured and child directed to enable kids to create their own playing environment. The idea of building a playground began when Sahoubah learned about KaBOOM and informed ACCESS organizers.  Sahoubah said she wanted kids to have a place to play.

“This is really a unique project. It’s been designed by the kids here in their neighborhood. It’s been built by them. We’re hoping this will complement the activities and children’s programs we have, so it’s going to be an extension of the indoor recreational programs, and we hope this park will be a true ownership of the community, especially for young people,” Jaber said.