Play Cousins Collective

BACKGROUND:

The Play Cousins Collective is an initiative to provide parenting education, Louisville family-centered community resources and youth programming in a secure and centralized location for participants.

THE NEWS:

With funding from the Humana Foundation, Play Cousins Collective successfully maintained services during the COVID-19 pandemic. It transformed its disconnected gathering spaces into a village, unified under the banner of liberation and sustainability for Black families and children.

WHY IT MATTERS:

• Play Cousins Collective sharpened its messaging by emphasizing the significance of mentorship in individual development within the Black family and community.
• They offered Black families the chance to advocate for their community needs, challenge oppressive institutional systems and orchestrate new approaches to meet the needs of their families.
• The program’s continued growth has now provided services to more than 1,000 individuals.

IMPACT AREAS:

The program addressed the Humana Foundation’s focus areas of mental health (senior companionship and loneliness in kids) by uniting a disconnected community with an emphasis on the family model and connected, healthy lives by establishing a network of support for a minority population.

WHAT’S NEXT:

Play Cousins Collective plans to further enhance its focus on the importance of family unity within the Black community. Based on feedback from families involved in its services, Play Cousins Collective has identified key areas of focus in their programming.