Over 40,000 children
1000s of creative ideas
Over 180 volunteers
Over 10 schools
2 Continents
Love Plays International
'Since 2016, Dream Networks has been successfully bringing play projects to the children in the UK and Global South.
In our international Love Plays programme, children in two countries work together to design a play space in the more marginalised community. They learn about each others environment and cultures while building their design and critical thinking skills. We then create a play space from the childrens designs with local partners.
What it is:
We have taken Love Plays around the globe!
In the international branch of the programme, a school in the UK will partner with a school from a less economically developed country. Students from both schools design the play space, and Dream Networks will carry out the build with local partners. This existing programme promotes cultural exchange and teaches students how to design while keeping in mind the differences between communities. At its core we address three social, environmental and economic needs :
- The global need for children's wellbeing, creativity and physical and cognitive development to be cultivated through outdoor play
- The local and global need for practical and engaging application of STEM in school education and career aspirations.
- The pressing need for younger generations to be educated on the sustainable use of resources and global sustainability issues
Who it involves:
This programme involves mainly schools and businesses.
What we do:
This programme consists of three stages: workshops, design and the build.
1. Workshops:
During STEAM workshops in both countries, children get to create their dream play space using design tools specially adapted for their environment and ages. They get to learn the concept of design thinking, get a great introduction to STEAM, and learn about the importance of using sustainable resources. The workshops are led either by volunteers provided by the business partnering with us to fund the play space, and with the help of school teachers.
2. The Design:
Our team makes children's dreams of playing a reality by developing the children's designs to ensure they can be built sustainable and are inclusive.
3. The Build:
After the design has been created, we partner with local builders, landscapers and artisans in the built country to bring the designs to life.
