PRIMARY Spotlight: Right To Play

A solopreneur, a small business, and a global brand can all seek out the same coworking space for different needs and reasons.

Some are looking to be surrounded by like-minded people, others want to network to grow their company, and some want to find ways to help their team bond offline.

Right To Play is the latter, wanting to bring their small team together while having the opportunity to interact with others.

The team has been with PRIMARY since 2020 and we sat down with Rosemary Trent, National Director of Right To Play USA, to learn more about the company’s mission, and how they knew PRIMARY Coworking was the right home for them.

What is Right To Play?

Right To Play is a global non-profit that uses PLAY to protect, educate, and empower children to rise above adversity. We've been active for almost 25 years and have offices in 7 countries!

How did you get into this space?

It all began with a boy in a long-sleeve t-shirt…

In 1994, Norwegian speed skater Johann Olav Koss led a humanitarian trip to Eritrea in East Africa. There, he came face-to-face with the realities of life in a country emerging from decades of war – and the power of play. Amid burned-out tanks, children played together, kicking a shirt ball back and forth. A boy showed Johann how to roll up his shirt and tie the sleeves to make a ball for him and his friends to play with. At that moment, Johann had an important realization: even amid so much devastation and deprivation, the boy’s desire to play had unlocked his creativity and determination. The children’s incredible resilience in the face of hopelessness inspired Koss to found Right To Play.

What made you want to prioritize international presence?

Our work is inherently global as we work with children in some of the most difficult places on earth, helping them to stay in school and graduate, resist exploitation and overcome prejudice, prevent disease, and heal from the trauma of war and displacement.

We reach millions of children each year in 14 countries around the world. By collaborating with teachers, governments, communities, and parents, we help children unlock their potential, and create better futures for themselves, their families, and their societies.

How would one go about working with your team to bring Right To Play to their country or city?

Unfortunately, we don't have any programming in the U.S., and building partnerships with new countries is a complicated process that often involves Governmental funding. But we have many ways to support our work!

For instance, you can Create a Challenge for a Cause - If you love running marathons or doing a long-distance bike challenge, you can fundraise for Right To Play while doing something you love and empower children along the way. Whether you've already got a place in an event, feel like signing up to one in 2024, or want to invent your own challenge, you can join #TeamRightToPlay and we'll give you all the support you need. You can find out more ways to get involved HERE!

Have you had any notable partnerships? What has been your favorite project to work on?

We have a longstanding partnership with the Lego Foundation. They support incredible work that encourages children to learn through play, and for teachers to use play-based learning methodologies in their classrooms.

When starting to transition to a shared workspace, what were some of your non-negotiables?

Our non-negotiables when looking at coworking spaces were a kitchen, conference rooms, and good workspace.

How long did it take you to land at PRIMARY?

It took us about 3 months of searching to finally find a home at PRIMARY.

What were the key amenities that drew you to the space?

The communal aspect of the space and the ability to hold meetings in a professional setting without having to pay for a larger office. The kitchen and gym are also a wonderful bonus, I wish we came to the yoga classes more! 

We previously had an independent office space that was very costly for a small team. In addition, it did not provide our staff with the opportunity to interact outside of our very small team of 5! 

We liked the idea of coworking to have access to more amenities in a great location and to have the opportunity to be around more working professionals.

What are you looking forward to in 2024 for Right To Play?

Having an opportunity to grow our presence in the U.S. and build new relationships! Our goal is to ultimately support our program countries by doing our best to raise funds and build awareness of the important work we're doing.

Visit Right To Play at www.righttoplayusa.org, and follow on Instagram here.