Today, The LEGO Group announces a nationwide partnership with UK Charity Youth Sports Trust to empower girls through play and sport. The partnership is part of the LEGO Group’s commitment to breaking down societal stereotypes, and as part of this they have recruited the Team Unstoppable 2024 squad – Dina Asher-Smith, Lauren Hemp, Jamie Chadwick, Kadeena Cox and Anna Lapwood – bold and inspirational women who have overcome the pressure to be perfect and can play unstoppable. Earlier this month, the LEGO Group unveiled results from a global study which showed that among UK girls, 89% feel the pressure to be perfect. As a result, the initiative aims to celebrate girls’ creative powers and let her play unstoppable by removing the pressure for perfection and gendered language bias. Learn more below.
THE LEGO GROUP JOINS FORCES WITH YOUTH SPORT TRUST TO TACKLE BARRIERS TO PLAY
The LEGO Group announces nationwide partnership with UK charity Youth Sport Trust to empower girls through play and sports
Team Unstoppable revealed – a squad of bold, fearless women featuring Dina Asher-Smith, Lauren Hemp and Jamie Chadwick to help inspire girls and overcome the pressure to be perfect
Part of the LEGO Group’s commitment to driving systemic change and spotlighting the creative possibilities that are unlocked when girls are free to play without limits
London – 3rd April 2024: Today, the LEGO Group announces it has teamed up with the UK children’s charity, Youth Sport Trust, to sponsor its Girls Active programme in primary schools. The programme aims to tackle barriers girls experience and empower them to make positive change through participation in sport and play opportunities across the country.
The partnership is part of the LEGO Group’s commitment to inspiring and developing the builders of tomorrow through play and breaking down limiting societal stereotypes and biases that hold back creative potential.
Earlier this month the LEGO Group unveiled results from a global study looking into barriers girls face which showed that the pressure of perfection risks holding them back from reaching their full creative potential. Among UK girls, 89% feel a pressure to be perfect, 79% say the grown-up use of the word ‘perfect’ invokes negative emotions, while a further 77% of girls say certain words and language make them feel like they need to be perfect. This in turn is having a detrimental effect on outcomes for girls, with 74% admitting to avoiding tasks when they are afraid of not doing them perfectly. Overall, 78% of UK children say they would be less afraid to try new things if mistakes were praised more as learning opportunities.
Christian Pau, General Manager UK and Ireland at The LEGO Group commented: “Play helps develop vital skills that are essential to children’s development and supports building creative confidence, resilience and self-belief. We know that when girls have the space and freedom to express themselves fully and play without limits they are unstoppable, which is why we are committed to help break down barriers that stifle this.”
Ali Oliver, Chief Executive Officer at the Youth Sport Trust commented: “We see how the pressure of perfection is a barrier to girls’ participation and enjoyment of sport and play and where a perfection mindset encourages girls to stay in their lanes and fear failure. At the Youth Sport Trust we are committed to understanding the experiences of young women and girls and how these are constantly changing in a complicated world. Through the work of our Girls Active programme, we are addressing the barriers girls experience, while delivering consistent improvements in belonging and self-esteem, body image and physical identity. We’re grateful to have the support of the LEGO Group and are excited for the opportunity to make a positive change for girls, both now and for their future.”
Nine in ten parents say play helps their child’s self-expression, boosts their confidence to experiment, builds creative confidence and provides a safe space to explore and experiment without fear of failure.
To continue championing what can be achieved when girls can play without limits, the LEGO Group has brought together Team Unstoppable 2024 in the UK – a squad of bold, inspirational women to inspire girls with their stories of overcoming the pressure to be perfect and what they have been able to achieve when they can play unstoppable. The team of inspirational women includes Dina Asher-Smith, Lauren Hemp, Jamie Chadwick, Kadeena Cox and Anna Lapwood. Watch out for more from the team to come.
OTHER RESOURCES AND INITIATIVES TO DRIVE CHANGE
- Parenting Guide: ‘10 Steps to Fostering Creative Confidence’: A resource developed specifically for parents, caregivers and grown-ups looking for tips & tricks on how to help nurture creative confidence in children.
- LEGO Brand Retail Instore and Online Creativity Workshops: Aimed at young creators aged 6-12, the free workshops are focused on Entertainment, Space, Gaming, Dreams & Imaginations, and provide the freedom to create and play without limits. Social Emotional Learning Content for Kids on LEGO Life: Designed to help children develop creative confidence and overcome creative blocks as well as fear of failure, the LEGO Group has worked with Peppy Agency and a group of creators to produce new engaging content coming to LEGO Life in April 2024.
Let’s celebrate girls’ creative powers and let her play unstoppable by removing the pressure for perfection and gendered language bias.
For more information on Play Unstoppable go to https://www.lego.com/en-gb/play-unstoppable/creative-confidence
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