Right To Play Launches Game Changers Program with $1 Million Grant from The Slaight Family Foundation
Empowering children and youth in Lebanon to heal, learn, and thrive through the power of sport and play
Toronto, Ontario, July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TORONTO, ON (July 30, 2025) - Right To Play is thrilled to announce the launch of Game Changers: Healing Through Sports, a two-year initiative designed to help children and youth in Lebanon recover from the trauma of conflict, displacement, and economic crisis through the power of sport and play. With the generous support of The Slaight Family Foundation, which has committed $1 million over two years, Game Changers will create sports-based programming so that children can heal, learn, and grow while building resilience for the future.
This initiative is part of The Slaight Family Foundation’s $13 million commitment over two years to 13 Canadian humanitarian organizations, aimed at addressing urgent global needs and helping fill critical gaps in international aid caused by recent reductions in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Lebanon is facing an acute crisis, with more than 82% of the population affected by poverty, leaving many children without access to opportunities or safe spaces to play, learn, or heal. Through structured, sport-based psychosocial support sessions, 2,050 children—including girls and children with disabilities—will build friendships, strengthen emotional resilience, and restore hope.
This programming is designed to address the emotional and psychological toll of living in fragile settings, offering a much-needed lifeline to children facing anxiety, trauma, and isolation. In addition to programs that directly support children, the program will also train 110 youth leaders as community coaches, enabling them to deliver play-based psychosocial support to peers and foster stronger, more connected communities. As well, local child safety committees with will be established to safeguard children and promote inclusive, gender-sensitive environments.
“Right To Play is deeply grateful for the leadership and generosity of The Slaight Family Foundation,” said Susan McIsaac, CEO of Right To Play International. “Their investment will help children in Lebanon heal from trauma, build resilience, and regain a sense of hope, all through the transformative power of sport and play. This gift is a powerful representation of the importance of investing in international development and reflects our shared belief that every child deserves the opportunity and support to reach their full potential.”
For 25 years, Right To Play has been at the forefront of using play to protect, educate, and empower children to rise above adversity through the power of play. Game Changers builds on this legacy, bringing hope and opportunity to children living in Lebanon.
About Right To Play
Right To Play is a global organization that protects, educates, and empowers children to rise above adversity using the power of play. We reach millions of children each year in some of the most difficult places on earth, helping them to stay in school and learn, overcome prejudice, heal from trauma, and develop the skills they need to thrive. We do this by harnessing play, one of the most fundamental forces in a child’s life, to teach children the critical skills they need to dismantle barriers and embrace opportunities, in learning and in life.
For more information, please contact:
Allison Love
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Right To Play Canada
Alove@RightToPlay.Com
416-301-4636
Allison Love Right to Play 416 301 4636 Alove@righttoplay.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
