Our Village

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
- James Baldwin

Nicole McGill (she, her)
​Director of Learning and Development

In addition to her role at PLAAY South, Nicole is a Tulane University Invited Lecturer and a University of Pennsylvania Faculty Affiliate. She is a native of New Orleans, and has worked with youth in local public schools since 2008. She has been training and facilitating PLAAY since 2018. She is highly skilled in the areas of racial literacy, crisis interventions, violence prevention, student engagement, relationship building, stress management and identity intersectionality. She is a powerful voice for the wellbeing of youth in New Orleans, and PLAAY South New Orleans simply would not be without her level of experience, expertise and kindness. Ms. McGill is professionally and personally passionate about supporting students to discover and develop their authentic voice, agency and identity.

Howard Stevenson Ph.D. (he, him)
Senior Advisor

​In addition to the gracious support and guidance that Dr. Stevenson​ gives PLAAY South,  he is the Constance Clayton Professor of Urban Education, Professor of Africana Studies, in the Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Executive Director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative, a research, program development, and training center that brings together community leaders, researchers, authority figures, families, and youth to study and promote racial literacy and health in schools and neighborhoods. From 2015 to 2021, he was co-director of Forward Promise, a national philanthropy office that funds community-based organizations that helps families of color heal, grow, and thrive above the trauma of historical and present-day dehumanization.​

Brendan Turner, LCSW (he, him)
Executive Director

Brendan​ is a licensed clinical social worker from Northern California now based in New Orleans, LA. He is a storyteller, racial literacy trainer, equity facilitator, Awa by Beloved Certified Consultant, Weikart Youth Methods trainer, Tulane University Invited Lecturer and a University of Pennsylvania Faculty Affiliate. Trained by Dr. Stevenson, he has been facilitating PLAAY groups and training PLAAY facilitators for the past seven years. He finds purpose and gratitude in supporting the development of self awareness, agency, voice and racial and gender identity in service of building healthy, joyful environments for adults and young people.

Our Journey

After training in PLAAY with Dr. Stevenson in 2017, we implemented the program at the Center for Resilience (CfR), a day treatment program that serves children with significant behavioral and emotional challenges. Observing the positive responses from students at CfR, we expanded PLAAY into the New Orleans community in 2021. First, we facilitated groups across the city. Then when schools and youth organizations observed the same positive responses, we knew something special had begun. After parting ways with our original home, we founded PLAAY South New Orleans to ensure continued access for children and young people in New Orleans. See our partners below who have already invested in PLAAY.
PLAAY South New Orleans is sponsored by the Sims-Fayola Foundation,
​a registered 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 47-5349323. 

FAQs

What age children does PLAAY serve and is PLAAY only for BIPOC identifying children?
  • We serve children ages 5 to 19 of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Why does PLAAY focus on race?
  • We focus on Race because that is typically the hardest, most stressful and often most significant identity to discuss for children and adults. Additionally, we address any and all identities, including gender, sexuality, ability, religion, immigration status, etc.
Are the younger children able to understand topics like race and religion?
  • Children are often both more aware of their identities, stereotypes and bias than we think, and we adjust the conversations to make sure that we meet children where they are at developmentally. 
Where is PLAAY implemented?
  • We work with Community Based Organizations and Schools, mainly in New Orleans, and we also have clients across Louisiana and nation-wide. Our partners run PLAAY groups in Tier 2 and 3 programming (children with social/emotional/behavioral needs), PE Class, After School Programming, Sports Teams and community centers.
How many children are in each group?
  • Typically, we meet in groups of 4 to 15 children.
What happens in PLAAY?
  • ​We engage in storytelling about our identities and stressful experiences for the first half of a session, practicing stress reduction, conflict resolution , emotional awareness and assertiveness. In the second half of a session, we play a sport, board/card game or video game where we practice the skills listed above in real life moments of stress and conflict.
Do I need a clinical license to become a PLAAY facilitator?
  • People do not need a clinical license to facilitate PLAAY.
Will PLAAY South staff facilitate the groups at my school or CBO?
  • We can facilitate groups ourselves, but it is much more cost effective and sustainable to have us train folks already embedded within communities.​
What children should be in PLAAY groups?
  • PLAAY is an effective intervention for children who exhibit behaviors like physical and verbal aggression, property destruction and elopement. It is also a significant preventive tool to teach all children the skills they need to succeed academically, emotionally and socially thus avoiding future behavioral problems in schools and encounters with youth justice systems.
How many children have been in your PLAAY groups?
  • Since 2017 we have served over 200 children and trained over 70 adults at over 25 schools. This year alone, we anticipate training 40 adults who will facilitate groups for over 250 children at 20 schools and community based organizations.