At Caffarri, the Play Explore Research project tells and concludes its journey: a global community on play and education

A global community on play and education. With an event addressed to university students and education professionals, the results of the P.E.R. – Play Explore Research project by Fondazione Reggio Children – Centro Loris Malaguzzi ETS, in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation, were presented on Friday, 6 March at Caffarri in Reggio Emilia. The project, focused on research, play and learning, has given life to a global community that has engaged in dialogue on children’s rights to quality education and to play, as well as on educational policies in different countries, through a shared process of exchange and reflection.

“Acting for education means acting for peace,” said Carla Rinaldi, Honorary President of Fondazione Reggio Children, in November 2023 in Reggio Emilia when launching the project, which she strongly supported together with the LEGO Foundation, represented at the highest level by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, owner of the LEGO Group, and Sidsel Marie Kristensen, CEO of the LEGO Foundation. A message that remains deeply relevant today.

Some figures

Completed in December 2025, the project brought into dialogue different educational cultures and histories, spanning 5 continents and 15 countries, including the seven host countries, Italy, Brazil, South Africa, Kenya, the United States, Vietnam and Denmark, and eight others involved through participation: Mexico, Colombia, Eswatini, Cameroon, Mozambique, Ethiopia, China and South Korea. From Reggio Emilia, over almost three years P.E.R. travelled 99,794 kilometres, two and a half times around the Earth, moving through major cities such as Johannesburg, Hanoi, Denver, Nairobi and São Paulo and their surrounding areas, to conclude in Billund, involving in discussions and innovative activities 2,366 participants, institutions, policy makers, NGOs, educators and families, boys and girls, communities, and 57 partners who co-designed the different stages and then contributed, together with the two promoting Foundations, to organise more than 136 workshop sessions across the seven events, to which must be added the 104 workshops held at Caffarri, for a total of 240 workshops over two and a half years. A journey that has also generated 7 publications.

The characteristics of the project, co-design tailored to each country

Among the characteristics that made the project unique and dynamic were the co-design with organisations in each country, with site-specific proposals; the conference-actions combined with workshops; the research-training process made particularly effective through the active participation of doctoral students; the shared projects, whose first outcome was the setting up of Caffarri as a research centre supported by the LEGO Foundation; and the monitoring of the interventions. The strong presence of partners in the different countries contributed to the effectiveness of the project, starting from two strategic collaborations that accompanied the entire journey: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, through the office responsible for the Italian Education System in the World, and the Department of Education and Human Sciences of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, through the doctoral students of the PhD Reggio Childhood Studies.

“GROWING NEW WORLDS” A DAY OF REFLECTION: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PROMOTERS, INSTITUTIONS AND PARTNERS 

The project was at the centre, on Friday 6 March, at Caffarri in Reggio Emilia, of “New Worlds Grow: Perspectives on the Future of Education”, a day dedicated to presenting the characteristics of the project, through thematic discussions and workshops, included in the programme of the 2026 Education Anniversaries in Reggio Emilia. The first part of the day was led by promoters, partners and institutions.

FRC: “In P.E.R. the intersection between education, research and solidarity, dear to Carla Rinaldi”

“An event continuing a project of great relevance – said the President of Fondazione Reggio Children, Francesco Profumo, in a video message – made possible by the LEGO Foundation, which funded and accompanied it, an overview of what has taken place over the years during the conference-actions.”

Cristian Fabbi, Director of Fondazione Reggio Children, recalled “the innovative contribution of Carla Rinaldi in conceiving the project, bringing forward the vision of research at the intersection between research, play, education, learning, solidarity and development.” “Play Explore Research has grown over time as a travelling laboratory of ideas, practices and encounters across continents, cultures and educational traditions. It has generated a series of fundamental pedagogical, cultural and ethical insights that define its deepest meaning, speaking of the capacity for dialogue and coexistence.”

LEGO Foundation: “Shared community-based research for change that places children’s rights at the centre”

An important message arrived from Billund from Joe Savage, Head of Evidence at LEGO Foundation: “P.E.R. has shown how bringing together experts, generative research and experimentation with communities can motivate and inspire the education sector, contributing to changes in educational practices and deepening an experiential and innovative approach that places children’s rights at the centre. The project has also highlighted complex challenges in achieving sustainable change at scale, which we are excited to address by continuing to work together.” A greeting to the participants was also delivered by Eve Hadshar, Evidence Manager.

Municipality of Reggio Emilia: “A historic bond to continue between the city and the LEGO Foundation”

Lanfranco De Franco, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, a founding body of Fondazione Reggio Children, said: “The conclusion of the international project P.E.R. – Play, Explore, Research represents an important moment for Reggio Emilia to reflect on a journey that has intertwined research, educational experimentation and international collaboration, opening new paths and strengthening the now historic bond that has developed between our city and the LEGO Foundation, which we intend to continue in the years to come.

I find it particularly meaningful that these moments take place at the Caffarri Research Centre, born from the refurbished spaces of the former feed mill in the Santa Croce district, now a place open to educational research, creativity and community participation. Here coexist Remida, international projects, the PhD programme, and cultural and sports initiatives in an ecosystem that engages children, families, educators and scholars.”