By Patty Freedman | VP Social Impact
Hi Friends-
Since our last update, we’ve been busy continuing to grow POP-UP Festival’s reach and deepen its impact on children’s emotional wellbeing around the globe.
This March, we proudly took part in #SELDay, sharing POP-UP Festival with a global audience to highlight the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL). Around the world, teachers and parents used POP-UP’s playful activities to create meaningful #SELmoments—sparking conversations about feelings, empathy, and hope.
One standout story comes from The School of St Jude in Arusha, Tanzania. Led by dedicated volunteer Robyn Eva, this impact project trained 100 Form 4 students (Year 10) with emotional intelligence skills through an enrichment program of training and practice. As a final service project, these students stepped into leadership roles—designing and facilitating a POP-UP Festival for younger Year 7 students, bringing emotional literacy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to life through hands-on, heart-centered activities.
The School of St Jude serves 1,800 academically talented students from under-resourced communities. By incorporating POP-UP, the school is helping young leaders grow not only in knowledge but in kindness, responsibility, and purpose—key values that support their mission to develop the next generation of changemakers.
With each new POP-UP Festival, we are seeing how empathy, optimism, and emotional skills can ripple outward—building stronger schools and more connected communities.
As we continue to expand, we are deeply grateful for your support. Your generosity is helping us reach more children in more places—one playful, powerful interaction at a time.
If you haven’t explored POP-UP Festival yet, it’s free and available to everyone. Visit our site to access over 70+ activities designed to boost mental health, build connection, and make learning joyful.
With gratitude,
Patty
Links:
By Patty Freedman | Global VP Social Impact
By Patty Freedman | Creative Director
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