A New York Tour to Remember

Rita Ezenwa-Okoro • March 29, 2023

Executive Director Rita Ezenwa-Okoro's NYC Trip

On January 7, 2023, six months after Rita Ezenwa-Okoro’s emergence as the first Executive Director of the Global Play Brigade (GPB), she set out on a New York tour. A 5-day Congress, three grand receptions, a day at the beach, and a visit to the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) were what characterized this unique New York tour. Here’s how it went down.


She was welcomed to the city by her dear friend and fellow brigadier Aurelie Harp who she had never met in person before, however, through the GPB, they had grown a strong bond spanning over two years of engagement. Watch the video of their first meeting. 


Rita is a three-time global fellow of the International Society of the Performing Arts and so had to attend its 2023 Congress which began on Tuesday, January 9, 2023. Most recently, Rita made history as the first Nigerian elected and appointed to the prestigious board of directors of this almost 75 years old institution. Being a part of this Congress of over 500 attendees worldwide, presented a great opportunity to network and spread the Global Play Brigade’s message with everyone. Rita also got the opportunity to be a part of ISPA’s Podcast Live Recording, where she read excerpts from her book entitled Doing. Being. Becoming for the love of the creative arts and shared her work at the Street Project Foundation in Nigeria and Global Play Brigade.  

After the Congress, Rita attended a special GPB reception organized in collaboration with the East Side Institute, New York which she is an alumnus and associate of, on Friday, January 13, 2023. She was moved by the presence of many who she had not seen since the pandemic and those she met in person for the first time after over two years of meeting online. After being introduced by Carrie Lobman- Faculty of ESI, and Cathy R. Salit - Founder of Global Play Brigade, Rita gave a moving speech that ended with a call for everyone to spread the word of GPB  and this followed with the distribution of GPB ‘Play it Forward’ buttons. The event then evolved into a book signing ceremony.

Afterward, seasoned musicians, tech, and non-profit organization leaders convened at Cathy’s home in Setauket, Stony Brook, New York, to welcome Rita Ezenwa-Okoro. After a bit of small talk and small chops, Cathy got everyone in the room to play a game of “Yes but & Yes and” after which Rita was introduced to share her vision for the Global Play Brigade which left many intrigued. 

After back-to-back receptions, it only made sense for Rita to spend some time at the beach house of Lois Holzman-Co-founder of the East Side Institute, and Dan Friedman- Faculty of the East Side Institute, in Montauk, New York. This gave her time to refresh by the ocean side, taking evening walks and catching a beautiful glimpse of the sunset. 

On her return back to New York City, Rich Sokolow, who is a long-time member of the performance activism community, hosted a reception at his home. It was a unique crowd of friends from his children’s school, his colleagues at work, representatives of the All Stars Project and representatives of the ESI and GPB communities. 

After months of nurturing a working relationship with the Under Secretary of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) following Rita Ezenwa-Okoro’s Street Project Foundation United Nations and BMW Group’s Intercultural Innovation Award, a meeting with the leadership of the UNAOC was secured. The meeting, attended by Cathy R. Salit and Rita Ezenwa-Okoro, ended with a request by the Under Secretary, Mr. Miguel Moratinos to develop a concept note for a BIG project that will be implemented by both the UNAOC and the Global Play Brigade. 


What an exciting way to round up a very significant and memorable trip designed for the growth of the Global Play Brigade. 

PLAYTELLIGENCE 2025 : Reimagining Learning

By Global Play Brigade • May 15, 2025
PLAYTELLIGENCE 2025 : Reimagining Learning In a world where traditional education often sidelines the importance of curiosity and joy, the PLAYTELLIGENCE Global Playshop 2025 emerged as a beacon of transformative learning. Hosted by the Global Play Brigade , this dynamic event welcomed 210 participants from 25 countries , representing 67 organizations —all united by a common belief: play is not just a fun activity; it’s an essential form of intelligence. Playtelligence is a term coined by GPB, it fuses ‘Play’ with ‘Intelligence,’ signifying an innovative way to approach education. It challenges outdated norms, suggesting that learning thrives not in rigidity but in curiosity, engaged collaboration, and yes, laughter. Playtelligence participants didn’t sit passively; instead, they embraced the unknown, danced with mistakes, explored environmental concerns through creative lenses, and rediscovered the joy of learning. Workshops that reshaped how educators and learners perceive growth and development. Susan Hillyard , a sociologist of education in Argentina and one of our inspiring hosts, reflected: “It’s beautiful to see teachers freed up to play. That’s what I witnessed at Playtelligence! The Educator Ensemble did a wonderful job bringing together such talented educators to facilitate a variety of offerings.” Luke Perone , a professor of psychology and human development in Hawaii, shared his thoughts on the closing session: “The final gathering was open and hopeful. There was genuine appreciation for the tools learned in small groups, and the collective energy was palpable.” A student participant reflected on the "Let's Dance with Mistakes" session: “The experience was both enriching and inspiring. Engaging with participants from so many countries fostered a sense of community. I left feeling energized and motivated to incorporate playful approaches into my own educational practices.” We celebrated diversity with sessions in English, Spanish, and Bengali , ensuring inclusivity and global participation. Translation tools enabled rich, cross-cultural exchanges , proving once again that imagination knows no borders . The impact of Playtelligence 2025 extends beyond the event itself. It has sown seeds of change in hearts and minds across the world. The vision is clear: to create joyful, collective, messy, and alive learning environments where both educators and students thrive through play. A special shout-out to the Brigadiers who produced and co-created PLAYTELLIGENCE: Susan Hillyard (Argentina), Luke Perone (USA), Toto Carandang (Philippines), Hikaru Hie (Japan), Mamiko Miyamoto (Japan), Vivianne Carrijo (Brazil), Levi Correa (Brazil), Manuela Kelly (Italy), Gwen Lowenheim (USA), Jim Martinez (USA), Meiko Kojima (Japan), Connie Shui-Yi (USA), Nancy Li (USA), Barbara A. Michaels (USA), Wycliffe Barasa (Kenya), Cristina Gioveni (Argentina), Carolyn Sealfon(Canada), Manolo Lopez (Spain), Ruben Reyes (Spain), Mariela Mondaca (Argentina), Manisita Khastaghir, Rev. Rodney Borneo (India), Ishita Sanyal (India) and Barbara Natalizia (USA). A big THANK YOU to our awesome tech team - Sarah Filman, Zara Barryte and Diane Whitehouse - thanks for being the true heroes behind-the-scenes, and making sure we all could stay connected and enjoy the session. Special thanks to YAHE & Cultivating Ensembles, for partnering with Global Play Brigade in making Playtelligence 2025 a huge success! As we look forward to the next Global Playshop called Heart and Power , we carry with us the giggles, belly laughs, meaningful gestures, and heartfelt connections formed during this transformative event. Until then, let’s all keep playing it forward .

Yvette Says Higher Education Needs More Play

By Global Play Brigade • May 15, 2025
Yvette Says Higher Education Needs More Play Imagine having a friend in every country of the world. Imagine being able to have coffee with someone anywhere in the world you go. Imagine an incredible boost in your confidence resulting in personal growth and exciting career opportunities. These are not mere imaginations, this is the everyday reality of Yvette Alcott since she joined the GPB movement in 2020. As a proud alum of the GPB Ambassadors Program, the program let Yvette build her confidence and transformed her into a lifetime advocate for play. One of the eureka moments that made her realize just how much her confidence had grown was a podcast interview she had with psychologist and educator Luke Perone. Despite being nervous at first, Yvette accepted the challenge and did incredibly well. During her podcast with Dr. Perone, Yvette had talked about the difficulties of incorporating play into higher education, where the focus is often solely on knowledge acquisition. Surprisingly, people from her former university listened to the podcast and as a result she was invited to conduct teamwork sessions using play, which were highly successful and well-received. This experience reiterated her belief that play is underutilized in educational settings and that there is a need to incorporate it more widely. As the leader of GPB Australia, Yvette shared a number of challenges she's been facing in making the GPB’s mission shine-through in an Australian context. She shared that she's constantly learning from the visionary and incredible leadership of Cathy Salit and Rita Ezenwa-Okoro in making play mainstream in Australia. Despite the challenges she might face, Yvette is not giving up! Chatting with Yvette was truly reassuring, comforting and inspiring. Hearing her share these stories about a boost in confidence, making new friends globally, and exciting career opportunities made us see just how much impact the Global Play Brigade has had and is having on the lives of those who come in contact with it. We hope Yvette's story inspires and helps you become a part of the people that are serious about Play! Here’s a link to the podcast.