The LEGO Group UK is on a mission to teach young girls how to recover from setbacks in order to help them achieve their full potential, both on and off the pitch. The toy brand’s unique ‘Unstoppable FC’ programme offers a variety of opportunities for young girls up and down the country to build resilience and confidence skills.
As part of the programme, the LEGO Group will be hosting a series of Play Workshops with three Women’s Super League teams. Workshops will take place at Arsenal Women (15th of September), Aston Villa WFC (14th of September) and Chelsea FC Women (12th of September) and have been specially designed to teach girls aged 8-11 years ‘Buildbackability,’ the art of bouncing back after setbacks. Play Workshops will feature a series of fun football drills and LEGO build challenges and girls will also get the chance to meet top female footballers like Beth Mead, Sam Kerr and Rachel Daly, who will be attending the workshops at their respective clubs.
Sign-ups for Play Workshops open today and parents can visit www.lego.com/en-gb/play-unstoppable/unstoppable-fc to find out more and get their daughters involved. Spaces at Play Workshops will be allocated on a first come first serve basis and parents have until 7th September to sign up.
On the Unstoppable FC website parents can also access content featuring Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead sharing their stories of resilience, designed to inspire young girls to succeed, plus tips on how to build resilience skills at home from top sports psychologist Dr Josephine Perry.
The campaign launches as research reveals parents of girls cite resilience and determination as amongst the top qualities exhibited by today’s most inspirational women. 54% of those surveyed cited resilience as a key quality, with determination (65%), passion (62%) and compassion (54%) also deemed crucial. Research also revealed 63% of parents polled said they wished they had been taught how to be more resilient when they were younger, while 63% said they believed their daughters needed to be resilience in order to be successful in the modern world.
When it comes to today’s most resilient, determined and inspiring women, new research reveals parents see Michele Obama as the best role model for young girls (34%), followed by actress Emma Watson, (29%) and Nobel prize winning scientist Marie Curie (29%). Sports stars including Serena Williams (27%), England striker Beth Mead (10%) and fellow Lioness Lauren Hemp (5%) also made the list, alongside activists Rosa Parks (23%), Emmeline Pankhurst (13%) and Malala Yousafzai (10%).
Dr Josephine Perry, Sports Psychologist, says: “Educating girls to treat failure as a learning experience and bounce back from setbacks is crucial to helping them tackle life challenges. I’m thrilled to be partnering with the LEGO Group to teach young girls the art of Buildbackability, or in other words how to build yourself up after being knocked back.”
Isabel Graham, Head of Marketing at the LEGO Group, says: “We’re excited to be offering a number of different ways to help young girls build their resilience through our ‘Unstoppable FC’ programme. At the LEGO Group we’re committed to breaking down barriers to play, and our research shows learning to recover from setbacks is key to helping children achieve their potential.”
Research also revealed almost a quarter (23%) of parents worry their daughter is being held back from achieving her full potential by a fear of failure. Yet despite this, 89% said their daughter is more ambitious than they were at the same age, while a resounding 96% feel their daughter has the potential to break down barriers that they were unable to overcome.
The survey revealed 73% of those polled said watching the Lionesses this year had been a massive inspiration to their daughter, with over half (54%) saying their daughter now regularly plays football.
Activity forms part of the LEGO Group’s global ‘Play Unstoppable’ initiative launched in May that aims to challenge stereotypes around play and creative building, and encourage girls to unlock the freedom they need to play without boundaries.
