LEGO® Friends and Girls on the Run Join Forces to Build Confidence in Young Girls Nationwide

SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sharing a commitment to inspire girls everywhere to achieve their limitless potential, LEGO Systems, Inc. today announced a partnership with Girls on the Run®(GOTR), a physical activity-based positive youth development program for girls, at the organization's annual summit. The partnership will incorporate an activity adapted from the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology into the GOTR curriculum which is designed to further develop girls' social, psychological and physical skills. Girls in grades 3 through 5 will engage in solo and group building challenges that will tap their creativity and hone their problem-solving, critical thinking and social skills.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140122/LA50414LOGO)

Girls on the Run teaches life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.  Over the course of the program, girls will develop and improve competence, feel confidence in who they are, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults, and make a meaningful contribution to community and society.  

"Our LEGO partnership is born from our common goal of unleashing confidence through accomplishment," said Elizabeth Kunz, president of Girls on the Run International. "We're excited to offer this new LEGO Friends building activity to our nationwide councils so girls can use bricks to tell stories that help them embrace their differences and discover their strengths."

The GOTR LEGO building activity is based on LEGO Serious Play® methodology and insights that shows that hands-on, minds-on play produces a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the world and its possibilities. The activity will guide teams through a simple process where coaches will pose a question, the girls will build in response, everyone will share a story about what they built and then reflect together on similarities and differences through a question and answer period.

"Given our mission to provide meaningful play experiences to children," said Michael McNally, brand relations director for LEGO Systems. "We are proud to support Girls on the Run and their creative approach to teaching important lessons in understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork and understanding how we connect with and shape the world at large. We are excited to see how this LEGO-based activity will spark meaningful conversations and allow girls to show not just what they made, but also what they're made of."

LEGO Friends is a collection of building sets that blend the iconic LEGO construction experience with stories, settings and themes designed to meet children's desire for creativity and a highly-detailed, character-based world.

About LEGO Systems, Inc.
LEGO Systems, Inc. is the North American division of The LEGO Group, a privately-held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark, one of the world's leading manufacturers of creatively educational play materials for children.  The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough."  Visit the virtual LEGO world at www.LEGO.com

LEGO, its logo, the brick and knob configuration and the Minifigure are trademarks of The LEGO Group. ©2014 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

About Girls on the Run
Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity–based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd to 8th grade designed to develop and enhance girls' competencies to successfully navigate life experiences. At Girls on the Run, trained and supportive coaches and volunteers teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goals of the program are to develop and improve competence, unleash confidence through accomplishment, develop strength of character, respond to others and oneself with care and compassion, create positive connections with peers and adults, and make a meaningful contribution to community, all while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. For more information about Girls on the Run® visit www.girlsontherun.org.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Karen Nolan
On behalf of LEGO Systems, Inc.
650-490-0608 / [email protected]

Amy Ellrod
Girls on the Run International
704-376-9817 / [email protected]  

SOURCE LEGO Systems, Inc.