Play in Mental Health
Join Global Play Brigade for Heart & Power: Bringing the World Closer to Wellness, a two-day, 90-minute global playshop where we explore wellness, experience emotional support, joy, social connection, and engage in thoughtful conversations with people from around the world.
This isn’t a conference, it’s an experience. Expect interactive workshops led by expert facilitators who will share practical tools and insights on how to take care of your mental health and emotional development!
Friday Time Zones
9 AM PDT Los Angeles
10 AM CST Mexico
5 PM BST UK
12 PM EDT New York
1 PM Brazil & Argentina
5 PM WAT Nigeria
6 PM CEST Europe
Saturday Time Zones
8 AM EDT New York
10 AM Brazil & Argentina
1 PM GMT UK & WAT Nigeria
2 PM CEST Europe
4 PM EAT Kenya & Israel
5:30 PM IST India
9 PM JST Japan
You can register for one day, or two.
We’ll first gather together as one group (across many different countries and organizations) and then you’ll get to choose which 45-50 minute workshop you’d like to attend.
MEET OUR HOSTS
FACILITATORS AND PLAYSHOPS FOR FRIDAY
Embodied Empathy
A playful experience of learning fun tools for better listening, using not only our ears but our whole bodies. You can use Embodied Empathy to enhance all your relationships: among friends, family, romantic partners, and work colleagues.
Christopher Ellinger — USA
Story-ography
Stories and movement enhance the connection we need for a healthier world. In this playshop, you'll co-create a unique dance built from the group members' stories, to help you connect with the people around you, and help them feel your story deep in their body.
What is Wellness?
What if wellness isn't just an individual pursuit, but something we create together? Join us for a playful exploration where we move beyond conventional definitions to co-create our own understanding of what collective well-being looks like. Through creative expression and collaborative discovery, we'll explore how our wellness is interconnected and honor the diverse ways communities experience flourishing. This isn't about finding the "right" answer—it's about reimagining wellness as something we build together. Come ready to play, share, and discover what it truly means for all of us to thrive!
Jenn Bullock — USA
FACILITATORS AND PLAYSHOPS FOR SATURDAY
Rainbow of Emotions
Just as a rainbow displays the full spectrum of colors, human emotions come in countless shades and intensities. When we talk about mental health, understanding our emotional landscape is essential—not just the "positive" emotions, but the full range of what makes us beautifully human. Join us for a playful exploration of emotional intelligence where we'll discover creative ways to express, understand, and celebrate all our feelings. Come ready to play with color, movement, and creativity as we honor the full rainbow of our emotional experience!
Story-ography
Stories and movement enhance the connection we need for a healthier world. In this playshop, you'll co-create a unique dance built from the group members' stories, to help you connect with the people around you, and help them feel your story deep in their body.
What is Wellness?
What if wellness isn't just an individual pursuit, but something we create together? Join us for a playful exploration where we move beyond conventional definitions to co-create our own understanding of what collective well-being looks like. Through creative expression and collaborative discovery, we'll explore how our wellness is interconnected and honor the diverse ways communities experience flourishing. This isn't about finding the "right" answer—it's about reimagining wellness as something we build together. Come ready to play, share, and discover what it truly means for all of us to thrive!
Jeff Gordon
Israel
WHAT IS A GLOBAL PLAYSHOP?
Play with strangers across the world
The Global Play Brigade hosts three (s) global events per year as part of our mission to make PLAY mainstream and available to all. So far in 2024, we have hosted Heart and Power; where we focussed on mental health and well being, and Playtelligence; where we explored how play and creativity is necessary for learning, development and education. Every attendee has the option of joining workshops of their choice. Our last Global Playshop was attended by over 200 people from 29 countries, including China, Nigeria, Argentina, Ukraine, Serbia, Israel, Kuwait, Gibraltar, Peru, Japan, and the UK. Will you join to build the movement?
How will it work?
25-minutes - Welcome & playful warm-up exercise
50-minutes - Choose one workshop to attend (see above)
15-minutes - Reflections
AUGUST 2025
THEME:
Heart & Power - Bringing the World Closer to Wellness
FAQ
I’m super excited to join the workshop! But…What exactly will happen during this workshop?
Thank you for your curiosity! Here’s what’s gonna happen;
1. You will change your Name on Zoom with your first name and country
2. We will tell you about the event
3. We will explain what Global Play Brigade really is
4. We will introduce a lineup of the workshops ready for you
5. You will choose which workshop to join
6. You will join the breakout room for the workshop you’ve chosen
7. You will participate in the workshop for 50 minutes
8. You will come back to the mainroom after the workshop is over
9. We will have a reflection session as a whole
10. We will inform you about next GPB workshop and more events
How to Use Zoom
1. Oh wow…so much to happen!!!!! By the way, How can I change my name on Zoom?
You can hover above your picture until you see the three dots. Click the three dots and you should see the option to rename yourself. If you’re still having trouble, just drop your name and country in the chat.
2. Okay, I think I can do that, thanks. Hmm…How can I join a Breakout Room?
Don’t worry, it’s quite simple. First, please check the descriptions of each workshop above. Once you decide which workshop you’d like to take, you can rename yourself with the number of the breakout room you’d like to join.
Or, if you’re fairly comfortable with Zoom, you can just join the breakout like you usually do.
Here is a video that tells you how to join a breakout room
on zoom. Check it out!
Wonderful! Now I think I am ready. Oh, one more thing! Do you have any language support during the workshop?
We have a Zoom translation system that supports non-English speaking friends!
Help! Where is my join link?
These workshops are virtual and you will need a Zoom link to join.
You will receive the join link in your email after registering on Eventbrite or Zoom.