Ashoka and LEGO Foundation Launch changemakers #Play2Learn: We're In! :-)

Submitted by Jim Salmons on

#Play2Learn logo of Ashoka changemakers and The LEGO Foundation

The legendary social enterprise incubator and advocacy organization, Ashoka, and LEGO Foundation have teamed up for a monumental changemakers.com #Play2Learn program. Here's the opening statement about this Changemaker Challenge:

In the face of critical and complex challenges, we believe that children and young people need to better develop creativity, imaginative problem-solving, teamwork, empathy, and inspiration so they can step into leadership roles in pursuit of purpose.
Play is one of the brain’s favorite ways of learning. It allows us to practice, experiment and test how we might tackle similar challenges in the real world as we develop creative and critical skills along the way. There is also a playfulness in invention and innovation, two things we need more of in a world where solutions must outpace problems. Science proves that. Why not encourage more playful, enthusiastic learning everywhere we can?
The LEGO Foundation and Ashoka are teaming up in an effort to transform the way the world learns and you’re the most important player.
Up for the challenge?

Oh, BaGeeBeez, heck YEA!

You had us at "the brain’s favorite ways of learning" but we cannot tell you how ready we are to join in for some "serious fun" as players in this upcoming challenge. We have already created our Ashoka changemaker member profiles (Jim and Timlynn) and entered the #Play2Learn Challenge with FactMiners and The Softalk Apple Project.

If you have ANYTHING to do with innovative approaches to grassroots "citizen science/history," Open Culture, cultural heritage engagement, connected learning, etc. BY ALL MEANS consider participating in this program. Just going through the process of completing the application will be time and energy well-spent. But as you will see, Ashoka challenges are participatory-helpful experiences for all – in the truest sense of the word, just participating makes you a winner.

This should be enough to convince you to check out this incredible program if for no other reason than to tell others about it. But if after all this talk you are still a real "Show me" kind of person, hang on a bit. We will be posting #Play2Learn updates here and on our @FactMiners Twitter channel.