Play in a Time of Crisis: How Safe Spaces Help Young People Cope

“Mental health is not a luxury. It is a lifeline” says Sara, Medair’s project officer.

On a warm November afternoon that felt more like late spring than the beginning of winter, Medair’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) team gathered in the north of the Bekaa Valley to host a sports and games day for local children. The weather was unexpectedly gentle, the air bright and full of anticipation. One by one, children streamed into the field, more than sixty of them, eager, energetic, and ready to play.

The children were divided into groups by grade level. I found myself drawn to a group of fifthgraders playing a lively version of musical chairs. A Kpop song would burst through the speakers, and the group instantly jumped into dancing, laughing, and spinning until the music stopped, triggering a playful moment to claim a marked spot on the ground. Their joy was contagious, and in their faces, I saw flashes of home. Many of these children were the same age as my nieces and nephews, full of curiosity, and that unmistakable spark that defines childhood everywhere.

Because I wasn’t part of the Medair team leading activities, the children were especially curious about me. Some flashed shy smiles. Others, braver, older, or simply more inquisitive approached to practice their English: “What is your name?” and “Where are you from?” Watching them, I was reminded of my fiveyearold nephew, whose endless questions about superheroes fuel entire conversations.

One boy in a full basketball outfit approached with determination. He began listing sports he thought I might like, pausing after each one to assess my reaction. When he reached “Basketball?”, my enthusiastic “Yes!” made his face instantly brighten.

“You play?” he asked, suddenly serious.

Before I could respond, a girl sprinted off to find a basketball. A Medair volunteer joined us, and in moments, we were in the middle of a fast, spirited two on two match. Screens were set, layups attempted, and for a moment, I was taken back to the court of my childhood, playing pickup games with my sisters and father on Saturday mornings. The laughter, the movement, the connection, it all felt familiar and grounding.

But beneath the playfulness of the day lay a deeper truth.

Children in this region grow up surrounded by fear and anxiety. The hum of drones’ overhead is familiar to them. They have watched fighter jet engulf the sky. They have lived through airstrikes, and clashes that make the night feel long and heavy. Decades of conflict and the escalations of the past year have shaped their understanding of what “normal” looks like.

Their minds carry worries far beyond their age, anxiety, disrupted routines, tension at home, and the constant uncertainty of what might come next. In such an environment, childhood cannot be taken for granted. A sense of safety cannot be assumed.

This is why Medair’s mental health support matters so deeply. Why the support of donors and partners matters. Why days like this one matter.

Through psychosocial activities, play becomes more than recreation, it becomes an essential tool for healing. A way for children to release stress, rebuild trust, express emotions, and connect with one another. With the guidance of trained community volunteers, these sessions give children space to simply be children: loud, joyful, imaginative, and free.

At the end of the active day, as the sun softened into the horizon, the children began to go home, still buzzing with joy, still laughing, still retelling the day’s highlights. Their happiness lingered in the air long after they left.

That afternoon was a gentle reminder of something crucial: Mental health is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.
And moments of lightness, even during hard times can help keep a child’s inner spark from being dimmed.

As we return to our routines, writing reports, sitting in traffic, navigating busy days, we carry with us the image of these children running freely across the field. Their joy is not naïve. It is brave. And through Medair’s ongoing psychosocial support activities, we remain committed to nurturing that light, one safe space at a time.

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Medair's work in Lebanon is possible with funding from The German Federal Foreign Office (AA), Swiss Development Cooperation through Interaction-CH, Fondation Un pas avec Toi sous l’égide de la Fondation Apprentis d’Auteuil, the US State Department and generous private donors.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organization.

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