Unlocking the Power of Play at the LEGO Foundation
The transformative power of play runs through every part of the LEGO® Ecosystem. The LEGO Foundation is the custodian of this ideal. Collaborating with all parts of the organisation means it thrives because all kinds of skills and experience drive it. Just imagine what yours could do.
Every day is a learning day at the LEGO Foundation. Three of our colleagues are here to take us on a journey through its work. Let’s start with Experience Designer, James Norwood:
“There’s a lot of crossover in my work here and with what I was doing in front-end design at the LEGO Group. I spend of lot of my time working on experiences that use the brick and non-brick manipulatives plus digital and conceptual solutions that help support our work of promoting the importance of learning through play. The brick though still remains such a powerful tool for supporting understanding and empowering Learning Through Play. But the marked difference is the contexts in which we work and design for. It’s been an incredible journey of learning and discovery, also knowing the impact we have on children’s lives in the many countries we work in.
A great example was the play initiative we came up with during COVID. We wanted something that would engage children and encourage play. Logistical challenges necessitated we keep things super simple, so we devised something that worked using just a sheet of paper. We called it the “playpaper”. Since then, we’ve co-designed a number of these with our partners at the LEGO Foundation, Sesame Workshop being one of them. This contributed to the distribution of “playpapers” to children living in migrant communities in Venezuela. It’s so rewarding to see how learning through play can have a direct and profound impact on children's lives.
It’s through the power of play that we aim to empower curious minds. This is what inspires Diego Adame to work here. As Head of LEGO Ecosystem Collaboration, he has a crucial overview of how this all comes together:
“The power of play transforms children's lives. I believe in this passionately and the LEGO Foundation gives me an opportunity like no other to pursue it. We believe that every child has the right to play, and that play is essential for their learning and development. Working with partners, we make learning through play more accessible and inclusive for children around the world. We do this by funding research and programs and advocating for the importance of play.
“Part of what I enjoy most about my role is seeing the whole picture in the LEGO Ecosystem and connecting the dots across teams. There is so much talent and genuine passion here. We are lucky enough to call upon some of the brightest minds, not only in education and child development, but beyond. Working here is an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with these experts - and they come from all over the world.
“What you can do here is equally varied. Beyond the LEGO Foundation, we collaborate across the entire LEGO Ecosystem. We bring evidence about the benefits of learning through play into action, for example working with colleagues to adjust the way products are designed or the way we support the local communities where the LEGO brand has a presence.
Someone who has discovered the variety of what you can do at the LEGO Foundation and the collaboration across the LEGO Ecosystem for herself is Senior Corporate Counsel, Line Bruun Christiansen:
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“I get to work on a wide range of cases and projects, within legal and compliance that support and safeguard the LEGO Foundation – it can be from IP law and data protection regulation to charter compliance and contracting. I function as the legal business partner to our Learning Through Play team which encompasses Research, Design and Facilitation and to our South Africa and Mexico teams in the overarching Children’s Learning and Development team meaning that I really “get around”. I also get to work in collaboration with colleagues in other entities in the LEGO Ecosystem and in KIRKBI which I very much appreciate and value as this gives insight to the larger ecosystem and how we are all connected and interdependent.
“Two of the things I love most about my job is that I get to work with people from all over the world, from different cultures and backgrounds, and that I get to learn so many different things: from the latest research on child development to the latest trends in educational technology. I also very much appreciate the spirit of playfulness at the LEGO Campus and the LEGO Foundation neighborhood and among my LEGO Foundation colleagues.
“But the single biggest reward is seeing the impact that the LEGO Foundation's work has on children's lives. It is a meaningful job and it makes me happy to know that I'm playing a small part in helping children to develop the holistic skills they need to succeed in life.”
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