Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s College of Islamic Studies (CIS) has collaborated with Qatar Charity to present a unique workshop using LEGO Serious Play (LSP) as part of the organization’s training program for employees.

The four-hour session with 13 employees from various Qatar Charity departments explored how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are associated with their respective charitable projects across the fields of education, healthcare, social welfare, and water provision. They were able to reflect personal and shared work experiences into a model built with LEGO bricks.

Certified LSP facilitator Dr. Evren Tok, Assistant Dean of Innovation and Community Engagement and Associate Professor of Islam and Global Affairs, CIS, presented the workshop with Bayan Khaled, Research Fellow, and Alina Zaman, a research assistant at the college. Alreem Al Ali, an Islam and Global Affairs student at CIS, who is also an employee of Qatar Charity, provided significant support in facilitating the training.

The session began with a brief about the inception of the 17 global SDGs and how they differ from the Millennium Development Goals. Participants were given individual prompts to reflect their understanding of their chosen SDG into a model. They then progressed to shared models, before engaging in systems thinking – a holistic approach to better understand interactions between different experiences. 

Participants worked in groups to build a model based on their experience working on a specific charitable project. Among those were models that mirrored Qatar Charity’s strategies and connected them to projects on water distribution and economic empowerment, while others made use of the LEGO bricks to reflect projects aimed at empowering orphans. 

Dr. Tok commented after the event: “We valued the opportunity to support the humanitarian and development objectives of Qatar Charity. Our participants were enthusiastic and focused, and we believe the session gave them the tools for creative thinking and problem-solving in their work that can serve efforts to achieve the SDGs globally.”

Expanding on the training approach, Dr. Tok said: “LSP sessions are an essential medium which encourage participants to unlock their hidden artistic skills by expressing their perspectives on various matters in a rational and fluid format. The structure of the workshop was shaped in a way to support the participants to break communication barriers and encourage them to think beyond the horizons so they could effectively contribute to the activities.”