The world’s youngest children need your ideas - open letter from our CEO
Here’s a question for you.
What if the wellbeing of our youngest children was a driving force in everything, from the way we design doctors’ appointments and education systems to how we tackle the climate crisis?
When we see the world through a child’s eyes, we see the need for care, fresh air, safe homes, clean water, a good education, opportunities to play, and nutritious food to eat all the more clearly.
That’s why I’m writing to you today.
For the LEGO brand’s 90th birthday, we’re making a commitment to the world’s youngest children
And we could be giving you a share of a development grant worth 900 million DKK (approximately USD 140 million). We’re looking for detailed ideas, plans and initiatives that transform the lives of young children, their families, and their communities. Ideas that we can put in place straight away to give children under six the help they so desperately need to thrive.
Children’s potential in those first six years of life is vast
Very young brains form more than a million neural connections a second. That’s an extraordinary pace they’ll never repeat again.
Every experience: from the bond children form with parents and caregivers, to the food they eat or the way they learn and play builds children’s brains and immune and metabolic systems. In turn, it shapes the lives they’ll grow up to live.
There’s a critical window to give children the best start. While the brain keeps growing and maturing, the speed at which it does shrinks past the age of six. Yet children under six are often forgotten in national plans, in spite of the knock-on effect this has on a country’s health and wealth.
Here’s what we know:
And many children face several barriers at once, and for prolonged periods of time –threatening their development for the rest of their lives.
Play has the power to break down those barriers
All children, from all backgrounds, wherever they are in the world have the right to play. Play is natural for children. It’s how they process their experiences, learn best, hone skills and explore the world around them. It’s how they collaborate with others, and how they learn to think about other people’s feelings too.
When you apply for our development grant, your ideas should support young children and their families first and foremost. But the chances are – if you’re helping children develop healthily and build strong relationships, you’ll get there faster if you give children room to play.
It’s time to shift systems so children, families, and communities flourish
If we work together, we can build safe, nurturing, stimulating environments to support our youngest children’s well-being and holistic development. And we can help communities and entire countries thrive.
The world knows so much about those crucial early years in a child’s life yet invests so little to protect them. We’re changing that.
Introducing the Build a World of Play Challenge
Five amazing organisations with the boldest ideas for the biggest impact will receive the grants- with three organisations receiving 200 million DKK each, and two organisations 100 million DKK each. In addition, the ten finalists will receive 6.5 million DKK each to strengthen their proposed plans, start building the team, and skill up to successfully implement their innovation.
Do you have a tech innovation that will improve the health of families with young children?
Do you have plans to make cities safer, greener, more sustainable, more playful, and more accessible places for all children to live, grow, and thrive?
Do you have innovative ideas for reducing stress amongst caregivers, so they build stronger, safer, and more nurturing relationships with the young children they care for?
Do you have big plans to help all children learn through play? And by all, we mean all. That includes equal access to education for girls, equal access for children with disabilities and equal access for neurodiverse children who may need extra support.
We want breakthrough ideas that can integrate across systems, that are contextually relevant and that resonate within the communities who will ultimately own and sustain them.
We hope you’ll rise to the challenge
You can register from today until April 7, 2022 and submit your applications until May 17, 2022. You’ll get all the information you need on our website.
Let’s give our youngest children the brightest start.
Assistant Manager- Communications & Branding
2yThis is amazing! Toybank - Development through Play too believes in the Power of Play and the importance of investing in Play to build a brighter world, especially happier and wholesome childhoods for at-risk kids. Love the #BuildAWorldOfPlay challenge 🧡
wake up chase your dreams Repeat
2yI want to work for children.can i joint your organization.how it possible?
Head of Marketing @ LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort | Driving Consumer Demand with Data-Driven Strategies
2yThis is really what children need more than ever: an ecosystem that allows them to flourish, open up, and shake off the uncertainties/stress and confinement that came about over the last 2 years. Amazing, commendable and inspiring.
Creative Partnerships | Marketing & Strategy | Business Development | Creator Engagement
2yInspiring! All children deserve the chance to have access to opportunities that help them achieve their full potential. When young children are supported and empowered amazing things can happen!
Head of Opportunity at Agile Property & Homes
2yEle George