Embracing Uncertainty

Hikaru Hie • January 29, 2024

Highlights from Our Workshop at the Learning Planet Festival

Hello beautiful playmates!


We recently hosted an incredible workshop in collaboration with the “Yes, And… Higher Education Network (YAHE).” Themed "Embrace Uncertainty & Tap Into Collective Creativity” Embracing Uncertainty," it brought educators worldwide together for a heartfelt exploration of our unpredictable world. It took place at the  Learning Planet Festival, a 4-day gathering of hundreds of organizations, programs and networks that are part of the growing Globalization at the Grassroots movement.


Held on January 26th, the workshop was a culmination of numerous meetings and meticulous preparations to bring our collective ideas to life. Educators from diverse backgrounds engaged in dialogues through enjoyable activities, expressing emotions with sounds and gestures, while we joyfully philosophized. We formed a shared language that transcended linguistic barriers as well as common categories and labels that often give us the illusion of certainty.


In the enchanting "Yes, And Story" activity, participants co-created moments filled with love and support. The workshop fostered a sense of safety, allowing everyone to express themselves freely, embrace a feeling of wholeness, and realize the spontaneous community that had blossomed during the workshop. Throughout the session, the focus was on co-creating shared thoughts and feelings related to the uncertainty we all experience.  We were able to embrace uncertainty through our collective creative activity.

The workshop successfully explored the powerful mindset generated by "Yes, And" and applied improvisation, providing insights applicable in various developmental learning settings. The depth of reflection at the end affirmed the accomplishment of our objective.


Reflection comments from some participants:

  • "As you know, I'm not the kind of person who finds it easy to play with others, and have a strong sense of ridicule... unless I'm performing! I find some activities with colleagues extremely embarrassing, and I hate to think such images are shared on video, but as I said today, it felt like a safe environment. I particularly liked to consider the collective story, a technique I use regularly in creative writing, from a different perspective (learning to deal with uncertainty)."
  • "It was a fun workshop! The experience is quite unique and gives me a new perspective about so many things."
  • "Although I don't do any formal teaching any more, I like to be informed about what responsible and creative educators are doing to deal with global concerns. I can also learn from workshops techniques I may be able to adapt and use myself!"

GPB Educators Salon

Date: February 8 (2nd Thursday of each month) 


Time: 7-8 am EST / 9-8 AST / 5:30 - 6:30 pm IST / 8-9 pm Malaysia/China / 9-10 pm JST Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYod-6vqTgiE9CPvuzI5T9OIAesAypAGCWm


Yes And Higher Ed Network Monthly Gathering

Date: February 16 (3rd Friday of each month) Time: 7:00 PM EDT / 5:30 AM IST / 8 AM Malaysia/China / 9:00 AM pm JST/12:00 AM GMT                                                              


 Registration Link & Zoom Meeting                                                      https://us06web.zoom.us/j/94867118879   Meeting ID: 948 6711 8879


We look forward to continuing this transformative journey that creates a vibrant community of educators committed to fostering creativity, support, and growth all over the world!


Warmly,

Hikaru Hie, Co-Leader of GPB Japan and GPB's Educators Salon

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.