Fostering Change Makers

Jenn Bullock, Susan Hillyard & Rick Horner • August 3, 2023

Playshops aren't polished performance so much as they are messy and intriguing invitations to play

In mid-2022, Global Play Brigade (GPB) began experimenting with quarterly Global Playshops. These conference-like events provide a space in which hundreds from different countries gather to play. Someone in China might play with others in Israel, Canada, South Africa, and Argentina. For many of us, that's a very new experience! Playing together across borders gives people who might not otherwise interact the space to meet, explore, and create new possibilities for the world.


But how does one actually do this? If improving cross-cultural relationships were easy, we would all be doing it. Our volunteer facilitators are the creators of these transformative environments. When we do new things, we need support. This led to the development of the Facilitator Jams. These Jams happen quarterly in preparation for the next Global Playshop. They are a space in which both experienced and new facilitators come together to partner, train, and create. Some leave the Jams with a team, a brand-new playshop design, and a dedicated support coach. These are the facilitators who go on to develop and practice their workshops at the Global Playshop event.


"I learned about my fellow participants' multicultural backgrounds.  I relearned that this group is exactly what I was looking for. I was positively surprised by the energy I picked up during the session coming to it rather exhausted.
A BIG THANK YOU to all you lovely people from 17 different countries."

Manuela (Italy), Facilitator Jam attendee


We have been fortunate to work with talented and strong facilitators who already have a plethora of skills. Facilitator Jams and coaching are intended to support them to bring those skills to the global stage. The Workshop Development team, a team of volunteers made up of Susan Hillyard, Jenn Bullock, Rick Horner, and Charly Ford, works to design the Jams, Global Playshops, and provide continued support to GPB facilitators. Our efforts focus on gathering all these skilled people from different places and helping them to focus together on one idea that will be absorbable by the global community.


The last Global Playshop in June 2023 was the first time we experimented with assigning coaches to teams that came out of the Jam. Playshops aren’t polished performances so much as they are messy and intriguing invitations to play. The goal is to get people engaged and collaborative. It is with this focus that we can coach towards gaining insight and practicing different exercises and behaviors in the context of the playshop. Individual facilitator assessment and feedback are not evaluated - the key is team coaching related to improving overall team effectiveness. Reaching out and staying connected to make sure the team is on track and not stalled. Providing the resources of listening with a caring heart and suggestions when needed or required. All done in a fun, synergetic and empathetic way that helps connect humans in different geographical spaces and situations. 


Interested in facilitating? Join us at the next Global Playshop on November 3rd & 4th to see how we do it at GPB.

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.