A Book Launch Rooted in Play

Educator and Author Fey Cole marked the launch of her latest book, Play and Adolescence, with an informal, playful gathering in South East London, bringing together ideas of play, place, intergenerational thinking and young people’s right to be valued

The Launch Event for Play and Adolescence: Developing a Playful Pedagogical Approach for Teenagers Learning, Growth, and Wellbeing marked the release of a timely and much-needed contribution to professional conversations about learning, wellbeing and belonging in the teenage years. Held as an informal, playful gathering rather than a traditional academic event, the launch reflected the book’s core premise: that play is not an optional extra, but a critical component of how adolescents learn, connect and develop.

Written for professionals working across education, youth services and community development, Play and Adolescence explores how play can be meaningfully embedded into learning environments to support teenagers’ cognitive development, emotional wellbeing and social connection during a pivotal life stage. The book challenges long-standing assumptions that position play as irrelevant or inappropriate in adolescence, instead presenting it as a powerful pedagogical and relational tool.

WHO IS FEY COLE?

A trained playworker, Fey Cole is a PlayBoard NI board member and Curriculum Manager at a FE College in Northern Ireland, where she leads across further and higher education programmes with a strong commitment to inclusive, values-based practice. Her lecturing specialism is in Early Years and Playwork and her work is grounded in practice that values play, relationships and learning across the lifespan.

At PlayBoard NI, she brings a long-standing interest in play, community learning and social connection. Alongside ‘Play and Adolescence’ Fey is also the author of ‘Intergenerational Practice in Schools and Settings’ and ‘An Educator’s Guide to Project-Based Learning’.

A resource for professional practice

Drawing on interdisciplinary research and international practice, ‘Play and Adolescence’ examines play across a range of contexts, from formal classrooms to community spaces and digital environments. Through real-life examples and case studies, the book demonstrates how playful learning can develop teenagers’ sense of belonging, enhance creativity and critical thinking, and support positive relationships with peers and adults. A key strength of the publication lies in its accessibility. Rather than remaining at the level of theory, the book offers practitioners clear insights into how play can be incorporated into everyday practice. It addresses common structural, cultural and policy-related barriers that limit opportunities for play, while also providing actionable strategies that professionals can adapt within their own settings.

Responding to current pressures in education and youth work

The launch comes at a time when professionals working with teenagers are navigating increasing pressure. Highly structured curricula, accountability measures and performance-driven systems often leave little room for experimentation or creativity. Within this landscape, play can be misunderstood as a distraction rather than a developmental necessity. Play and Adolescence directly responds to these challenges. The book positions play as a purposeful approach that complements, rather than competes with, learning objectives.

By reframing play as a contributor to emotional regulation, problem-solving and social learning, it offers practitioners a language for advocating playful approaches within constrained systems.

Play, rights and belonging

Alongside its practical focus, the book is grounded in a rights-based understanding of play. It draws attention to Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises children and young people’s right to play, rest, leisure and participation in cultural life. Often described as the “forgotten right”, Article 31 is frequently sidelined in policy and practice, particularly as young people move into adolescence. By linking play to wellbeing, participation and belonging, Play and Adolescence provides professionals with a framework for understanding play not as an indulgence, but as an entitlement that supports healthy development. This perspective is especially significant in contexts shaped by inequality, division or limited access to safe, inclusive spaces for young people.

A launch that reflected the book’s purpose

The decision to host the book launch party as a playful, relational gathering mirrored the book’s emphasis on connection and shared experience. Educators, practitioners and supporters came together to mark the publication in a way that modelled the kinds of environments the book advocates for: spaces where conversation flows, ideas are exchanged, and relationships are prioritised. The event created opportunities for dialogue about how play is currently understood in professional practice and how it might be reimagined. For many attendees, the launch served not only as a celebration, but as a prompt for reflection on their own work with young people.

Living the values of play

As the book launch drew to a close, what lingered was not simply the achievement of a new publication, but the way the event itself modelled the values at the heart of Play and Adolescence. Bringing together Fey’s professional world in Northern Ireland, where she works as a curriculum manager in a further education college, with the family and community roots of Deptford, the launch showcased the importance of continuity, care and belonging.

Play and Adolescence can be bought from all major bookstores. Find more on Fey’s work here: [https://linktr.ee/Fey_Cole](https://linktr.ee/Fey_Cole)