The document describes the PlayUp project, which aims to develop educational toys and creative play opportunities for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Lisbon, Portugal. The project will co-create toys with local communities, using a new biodegradable material, and support local organizations providing education. It outlines a development plan over 18 months, working with partners to research community needs, develop prototypes, and seek funding to launch the toys on a larger scale. The goal is to encourage imagination and skills through inclusive play that benefits children's development and communities.

1. PlayUp design | give space to play

2. Thinking about tomorrow’s Change Makers
Educational toys to
encourage creativity and
imagination for children
who have less access to
quality play opportunities.
Co-creating ludic
activities and inspiring
toys with children,
families and communities
living in disadvantaged
contexts in Lisbon.

3. Play is a human right & universal language
Children are the soul of
communities and the
future of our society.
Access to inclusive play
environments and quality
play opportunities are key
to children’s personal
development.
Children who play better
will be able to make
better choices and have
better ideas to shape the
world we live in.

4. Some children have no space to play
The original idea for
PlayUp was to deliver
low-cost educational and
biodegradable toys for
children across the world
in response to
humanitarian emergencies
such as tsunami, war,
earthquakes, hurricanes
or extreme poverty.
“The healthy development of children is
crucial to the future wellbeing of any
society.” UNICEF

5. Some of these children live in Lisbon
But we had to start
somewhere, so we
decided to focus on
some of the poorest
neighborhoods of Lisbon.
Exploring areas where
social exclusion, poor
household conditions and
neglect are the daily
reality for hundreds of
young children.

6. Working with 4 different communities
During the past twelve
months we have been
collaborating with the
Associação João de Deus,
Casal da Mira
a leading Portuguese Casal da Boba
organisation for education
and children development
We delivered a series of
interactive co-design
workshops within four
different communities in
the North East of Lisbon.
Bairro 6 de Maio Bairro da Horta Nova

7. PlayUp | give space to play
Creating more quality
play opportunities at
community level, working
with children and their
families.
Developing activities that
can be adopted and
replicated in similar
contexts, supporting the
organisations already
operating in the
educational sector.

8. PlayUp | toys to grow up
The project strategic
aim is to co-develop a
small series of clever
educational toys made
of a new biodegradable
material that can be
locally produced, sold
and easily distributed on
a large scale.
From social intervention
to social enterprise.

9. Encouraging creativity and imagination
PlayUp aims to
generate a series of
inspiring educational
toys to encourage and
stimulate imaginative
and creative play
opportunities, develop
emotional intelligence,
critical thinking and
communication skills for
children living in the
most disadvantaged
areas of Lisbon.

10. Introducing Durapulp from Södra Labs
We are experimenting a
new biodegradable and
innovative material for
the design of the PlayUp
toys. Durapulp is a
composite of paper pulp
and a corn starch
biopolymer.
PlayUp will connect a
Swedish research Lab
with local Portuguese
industry and universities.

11. PlayUp project launch - Lisbon July 2012
We presented the
results of our early
• Pressley Ridge, Casal da Mira, Amadora interventions to a
• Fundação Aga Khan Portugal series of stakeholders
• Camara Municipalde Amadora, Lisbon
• Associação João de Deus, Ludotecas moveis and potential funders
• IADE Design University (engage students) who will help us raising
• Majora, main Portuguese toy producer, Porto
• PimPumPlay, online educational toy store the grant funding
• Södra Labs, material innovation centre, Sweden necessary for the
• João Sem Medo, centre for entrepreneurship
• TESE, association for development further development
and implementation of
• Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (potential funder)
• Fundação Montepio (potential funder)
the PlayUp project.
• Fundação EDP (potential funder)

12. PlayUp design | development phase

13. Synergy of factors and project partners
SOCIAL + STRATEGIC + CREATIVE
community entrepreneurship design &
& education & sustainability innovation

14. Synergy of factors and project partners
SOCIAL + STRATEGIC + CREATIVE
community entrepreneurship design &
& education & sustainability innovation

15. Project development stages
€35K €100K
SCOPE pitch
DEVELOP investment DELIVER
TODAY
research and community product
team building interventions development
2011 / 2012 2012 / 2013 2013 / 2014

16. Project development stages
€35K €100K
SCOPE pitch
DEVELOP investment DELIVER
TODAY
Self funded €10.000 Funded € 35.000 Investment €100.000
commonground + social foundations + toy industry + CSR
PlayUp team crowd-funding enterprise level

17. PlayUp development phase
The second stage of
PlayUp will be in
partnership with Pressley
Ridge in Amadora and
Ongoing project management and documentation
IADE design university.
November 2012
community interventions / prototypes development
December 2012 The main costs are for
Christmas press event / project communication research, working space,
January 2013
community interventions / product development
materials, prototyping,
February 2013 production, a series of
first prototypes production / community testing
March 2013
events, documentation,
final event and project evaluation students awards, project
April 2013 promotion and evaluation
developing industry investment pitch
(about €35.000).

18. A series of ludic community interventions
Encouraging imagination
Launching event Toy swapping
introduce project to toy market (Santa
and creativity working in
local community Casa da Misericordia) partnership with different
organisations.
Shapes and materials Colours and textures
exploring toys understanding colours Running a number of ludic
potential (IADE) (Coloradd workshop) interventions, one every
two weeks over a period
Storytelling Play in Casal da Mira of six months, from
workshop ludotecas treasure hunt and
(João de Deus) photography activity November 2012 to April
2013. Other minor
Financial education Public event activities will run weekly
the value of money presenting prototypes for the co-creation of the
(Fundação Montepio) and results (Chapitó)
toys and methodology.

19. Mapping resources - Casal da Mira
Connecting resources,
people, local knowledge,
skills, resources and
opinion leaders to reach
children, families and
communities.
Immersion and design
research to contextualise
the challenge and to
understand barriers and
opportunities.

20. Pressley Ridge Portugal - Casal da Mira
With a track record in
delivering innovative
projects and supporting
hundreds of children and
families, Pressley Ridge
Portugal will act as ‘gate-
• access to keeper’ to the local
community
• admin capacity
community of Casal da
• legal structure Mira and will ensure the
• track record in quality of the project
innovation
• supervision and through ongoing
communication supervision and
professional advice.

21. IADE Design University
Students from IADE
product design courses
will be researching and
developing solutions in
response to a specific
• talent and
creativity project brief, participating
• design research to the PlayUp main
• prototyping activities, engaging with
capacity
• visual / graphic the local community and
communication
• industry
prototyping the toys.
connections
• access to space The 3 most promising
and resources projects will receive an
• volunteering
opportunity award at a public event.

22. PlayUp design team
4 entrepreneurial young
designers and innovators:
Vincenzo and Matteo are
Italian and share the same
passion for socially
• project responsive design and
management sustainable development.
• design thinking
• activity planning Joana and Rita are both
• facilitation capacity
• documentation Portuguese, have studied
• communication abroad and have a
• resource hunting
background in design and
sustainable tourism.

23. PlayUp inspires young change makers
Vincenzo (29)
project coordinator, design
strategy and facilitation
Joana (25)
visual communication, design
mentoring and research
Matteo (25)
community manager and
facilitation
Rita (28)
communication and public
Dulce (19) relationships
Casal da Boba resident

24. PlayUp Lisbon is a commonground project
We have a proven track record in commonground is
delivering service innovation and tackling
complex social challenges. We have where design meets
been using Theory of Change and SROI positive social change.
tools in the past to track our progress We bring people
and make sure we deliver measurable together to deliver
social impact. socially responsive
vincenzo@gotocommonground.com design & innovation
www.gotocommonground.com projects.
@cmngrd

25. Thank You
playupdesign@gmail.com - www.playupdesign.com
Facebook: PlayUpDesign