A shared global vocabulary for outdoor play, learning, and teaching.
A global network, now rooted in Seoul
PLaTO-Net means Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors Network
More life
happens outside.
We connect researchers, educators, policy makers, and communities to make outdoor play and learning possible for everyone.
PLAYLEARNTEACHOUTDOORS
37.5665° N
126.9780° E
126.9780° E
SEOUL서울EST. 2026
Play outside✦Learn together✦Teach differently✦Think globally✦
Play outside✦Learn together✦Teach differently✦Think globally✦
01 Why outside?
Outdoor play is not a break from life.
It is how we grow.
Active outdoor play supports holistic health and well-being for people of all ages, communities, environments, and our entire planet.
In a world shaped by social inequity, climate change, and digital saturation, we are building the evidence, language, and partnerships needed to protect everyone’s right to play and learn outside.
Read the 2025 Position Statement ↗
Photography: Brooke Balentine, Outdoor Play Canada, and Jakub Tomasik.
A network built through collaboration
One shared language.
Endless possibilities.
Experts who shaped our foundational terminology and ontology.
The evidence base behind the 2025 Position Statement.
Used to invite perspectives in our global consultation.
02 Work that moves the field
From consensus
to collective action.
Our landmark collaborations help researchers speak clearly, policy makers act confidently, and communities build better outdoor futures.
01
2022
Foundational research
PLaTO-Net: terminology, taxonomy, and ontology
A global consensus project defining the field and creating an inclusive model for all people.
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02
2025
Global position statement
2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play
A worldwide call for equitable access to active outdoor play across the lifespan.
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03
2025
Process & methodology
How the 2025 Position Statement was built
The rigorous three-year international process behind a truly global, all-ages statement.
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One network.Deep global roots.
Featured resource
Ten years of evidence.
A lifetime of play.
The AOP10 project celebrates and extends the landmark 2015 Position Statement. Global in scope and inclusive of all ages, it brings together the final statement, research manuscripts, infographics, a slide deck, video, webinar, and resources in all six UN official languages.
700+PLaTO-Net members
60+countries represented
136historical events mapped
Leadership AOP10 in Seoul
The people behind
the shared vision.
In December 2024, the 11-person AOP10 Leadership Group gathered in Seoul for an intensive three-day working meeting, hosted with the Department of Sport Industry Studies at Yonsei University.
Our next chapter
Global ideas.
Seoul energy.
In December 2024, global outdoor play leaders gathered at Yonsei University to shape the 2025 Position Statement. Now PLaTO-Net is deepening that momentum from Seoul: a city where mountain trails, river parks, dense neighborhoods, and bold ideas meet.
03days of global leadership dialogue in Seoul
143steering committee members consulted
North America
Europe
Africa
Oceania
SEOUL서울
Connecting sectors, settings & societies
03 What we grow together
Built for people who believe the outdoors can change things.
Different perspectives make the network stronger. Bring yours.
Build evidence that travels.
Collaborate across disciplines, cultures, and borders.
01Turn insight into experience.
Connect evidence with the people making outdoor play happen.
02Make space for possibility.
Advance systemic change for equitable access outdoors.
03The outdoors needs all of us
Come outside.
Bring your ideas.
Join a global community advancing outdoor play, learning, and teaching from our new home in Seoul.