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Play for Peace: Youth Leading Change Through Play

Updated: 2 days ago

In Loving Memory and Gratitude to Craig Dobkin

This post is shared in honor of Craig Dobkin, co-founder of Play for Peace, whose life’s work was rooted in the belief that cooperative play has the power to heal, unite, and inspire change. Craig believed deeply in young people and their ability to lead with empathy, joy, and courage. His legacy lives on in Play for Peace clubs around the world and in every moment where play becomes a bridge for understanding, connection, and peace.



Early in her career, Kikori co-founder Kendra met Craig while learning about experiential education. At the time, she didn’t feel confident in her facilitation skills. After a full day of Play for Peace training, she shared this with Craig, and he responded in a way only Craig could. He told her he would teach her the best 10 team-building activities ever created.


Excited, Kendra arrived with pen and paper ready. When she asked Craig what the first activity was, he paused and asked her a question instead: “What’s your favorite activity you already know?” She shared one, and Craig smiled and said, “That’s number one.” One by one, as Kendra listed activities she already used, Craig affirmed each as part of the “top ten.”


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That moment became one of the most powerful lessons Kendra ever learned: leadership isn’t about telling people what to do - it’s about facilitating, guiding, and truly believing in others. That belief builds confidence, grows leaders, and creates lasting change.


Kendra continued to work closely with Craig and Play for Peace, who became Kikori’s first social mission partner and a foundational collaborator in building what Kikori is today. Craig’s legacy lives on in every youth-led activity, every moment of connection through play, and every facilitator who learns to trust themselves and the people they lead.


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Monthly Club Spotlights: Webinars & Activities

Our partnership with Play for Peace celebrates youth-led clubs around the world that design, lead, and reflect on experiential activities each month—using play as a powerful tool for connection, inclusion, and peacebuilding.


Each monthly feature culminates in a live global webinar, where Play for Peace club leaders share their culturally grounded activities with educators and facilitators from around the world. These same activities are also featured on the Kikori platform, making it easy for classrooms everywhere to experience and engage with them.


The best part? Through our new Traditions Transformed partnership, Play for Peace clubs not only lead a monthly webinar - they also create a playlist of five experiential SEL activities that are thoughtfully rooted in their local traditions, culture, and community wisdom, and made accessible to educators through Kikori (click below to access!)


In 2025, we were honored to feature activities from Play for Peace clubs in India, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, alongside one of Play for Peace’s U.S. leaders, Marilyn Levin, author of Experiential Activities for a Better Tomorrow and a longtime inspiration behind Kikori’s appreciation-focused and connection-centered activities.


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This partnership matters deeply to us. At Kikori, our mission is to ensure that students, both in the U.S. and around the world, see themselves reflected in the activities they experience. When students engage with traditions, games, and practices from global communities through Kikori, they build empathy, curiosity, and a sense of belonging that extends far beyond their classroom walls. Explore each of 2025's featured webinars and playlists below!


'Traditions Transformed' Webinars and Playlists


1. Mix & Mingle Magic: Where Every Difference Adds to the Dance


This project brings together traditional games from India, the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, and Vietnam, curated to celebrate community, creativity, and inclusion. Students experience diversity through playful cooperation, developing empathy and connection while embracing Play for Peace values.


2. Better World: Culture, Conditioning & the Courage to Change


This workshop explores how cultural conditioning like scarcity, competition, and fear of difference affects us all. Students and facilitators engage in experiential activities to unlearn limiting beliefs and practice building inclusive, compassionate spaces in their schools and communities.


3. Becoming Me: Myths, Moments & Magic


Focusing on adolescence, this session invites reflection on identity and self-expression through playful storytelling, games, and discussion. Students explore cultural myths, first feelings, and the magic of becoming, fostering confidence, empathy, and social-emotional growth.


4. Hope in Hiding: Stories, Play, and Peace from Afghanistan


Morteza, a Play for Peace educator shares traditional Afghan games adapted for inclusion and peace-building. Students learn about resilience, hope, and cross-cultural empathy, discovering how play can create joy and unity even under extreme circumstances.



Workshops That Build Leadership Skills

Beyond webinars, Play for Peace provides workshops where students learn to:

  • Design and facilitate inclusive, cooperative activities

  • Practice conflict resolution and restorative strategies

  • Build leadership through structured, experiential play


Youth gain real ownership over peer-led learning, shifting power from adult-directed teaching to student-driven facilitation. Leadership becomes about guiding, listening, and connecting, a core SEL skill.


SEL Through Cooperative Games

Play for Peace activities are rooted in experiential, student-centered learning.


Games teach students to:

  • Recognize and regulate emotions (self-awareness)

  • Respond to peers thoughtfully (social awareness)

  • Negotiate, support, and collaborate (relationship skills)

  • Reflect on choices and consequences (responsible decision-making)


Research from CASEL supports that experiential cooperative games strengthen SEL, promote inclusion, and develop youth leadership through play.




A Free Activity You Can Try Tomorrow: Peace Event Map


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Bring ten community-building Play for Peace activities directly into your classroom or youth group with our Peace Event map, designed for experiential SEL and leadership development.


Each activity strengthens cooperative learning, restorative practices, and youth leadership skills - perfect for classrooms, clubs, or community programs.


🌍 Learn About Our Partners at Play for Peace

Play for Peace is a global nonprofit peace-building organization that uses the power of cooperative play and experiential learning to bring children, youth, and communities together—especially in places affected by conflict and division. Their approach centers on using play as a universal language that fosters compassion, inclusion, cooperation, and joy, helping people build lasting understanding and peace across differences.



Founded in the late 1990s, Play for Peace has become a vibrant global learning community with youth leaders, facilitators, and volunteers in dozens of countries around the world. Through local Play for Peace Clubs, young leaders facilitate peace-building activities in schools, community centers, and refugee camps, training peers in social-emotional skills, conflict transformation, and leadership.


Their work emphasizes that:

  • Everyone can be a peace-builder, no matter their background.

  • Play is a powerful bridge across cultures, ages, and experiences.

  • Youth leaders are supported to create joyful, transformative experiences that strengthen empathy, connection, and community wherever they go.


We’re honored that through our Traditions Transformed partnership, Play for Peace clubs from around the world have shared their voices and activities, casting a global spotlight on SEL practices that help children everywhere feel seen, valued, and empowered.


Ready to Bring Kikori to Life in Your Community?

Kikori is built to meet you where you are, whether you’re leading a single classroom or shaping culture across an entire school or district.


For Individual Educators

🌏 Let students lead. Watch peace grow.


A Kikori Pro Membership gives you instant access to:

  • Morning Meeting & Advisory slide decks

  • Hands-on, printable SEL activities

  • Curated music & movement playlists

  • Tools that help students connect, reflect, and lead


Perfect for educators who want meaningful SEL they can use tomorrow morning.


For Schools & Districts

🕊 When youth connect across differences, peace spreads.


Kikori’s School-Wide Solution supports Tier 1–3 SEL by equipping every educator with:

  • Full platform access

  • Implementation guidance & training

  • Shared language and practices for culture-building

  • Bonus resources that support consistency and sustainability


Designed for schools ready to move from isolated activities to a lived, shared SEL experience.

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