Did you ever fly a kite in bed?

Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head?

Did you ever milk this kind of cow?

Well, we can do it. We know how.

If you never did, you should.

These things are fun and fun is good.

- Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Dr. Seuss is a marvelous example of great impact through fun and experimentation. Using the power of storytelling, Seuss tackled both collective global challenges, from environmental destruction to genocide, and profound personal moments, like learning to read, experiencing resilience and practicing integrity.

At HopeLab, courageous experimentation and joy are in our DNA.  We believe in the power of play and science with heart. In fact, the introduction to our 2012 strategic plan we presented to our board was a riff on Horton Hears a Who, entitled HopeLab Hears a Hey. Delightful AND informative!

The images in this post are from our first staff meeting of the year, where our team gathered to share and discuss priorities for our work in 2012.

The year ahead for us includes some great partnerships and projects to support Zamzee, testing and iteration on new Re-Mission mini-games and deeper exploration of ways we can help young people tap into their natural sources of physical and psychological resilience (more on that soon).

To do all of this, we’re paying a lot of attention to the people who contribute their energy and time to our mission – in other words, creating a culture that supports our work. Building environments that promote curiosity, respect, play and joy fosters resilience and innovation in our own team at HopeLab.

So, we laugh a lot, we experiment, we reflect on and practice our values, and we approach our work with a spirit of collaboration and humility. It’s how we generate positive impact, not only in our own lives but also in the lives of the young people we serve, in our communities and in our world.

For me personally, it remains an incredible privilege to work among a group of people leaning into the future together, tapping into the power of play and science with heart to create tools that improve kids’ lives.