At Sandfield, we often talk about the importance of human skills or soft skills. Technology is at the heart of what we do, but it’s the way our people collaborate, adapt, and solve problems together that makes the real difference. These skills don’t happen by accident; they’re built through experience and consistent training. By learning to be resilient when projects get tough, to take feedback on board, understand different ways of communicating and to have courageous conversations when it matters most.
That’s why when we heard about the work happening just around the corner from our office at The Covert Theatre, it immediately struck a chord.
Most know Covert Theatre for their quick wit and laugh-out-loud improv comedy shows. But behind the scenes, they’ve been quietly shaping something with the potential for lasting social impact: The Resilience Playground.
What is The Resilience Playground?
The Resilience Playground is a programme designed for 8–12 year olds that uses the science of positive psychology and the art of improvisation to teach resilience, creativity, collaboration and emotional intelligence.
Over the past four years, it’s helped kids across Aotearoa grow in confidence and learn to tackle life’s challenges in a healthy, playful way. Recently, it’s gone online with more than 40 exercises that teachers can use in the classroom, either leading themselves or simply playing the video and joining in alongside their students.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:
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Experts have called it “superb” and “the missing component in our traditional academic curriculum.”
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Parents have seen children grow calmer, more confident, and more able to express themselves.
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Kids love it because it’s fun. The learning happens almost without them realising.
It’s improv comedy meets positive psychology, with outcomes that are anything but a joke.
Why it matters to us
At Sandfield, we’re big believers in the power of resilience and communication, whether it’s working with a client on a complex project or collaborating across our teams. The same skills that help children in the classroom are the ones that help our people thrive in business:
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Resilience when things don’t go to plan.
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Openness to feedback to keep learning and improving.
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Courageous conversations that help us get to the right solution, even when it’s hard.
Seeing these values taught to kids through play and laughter felt like a natural fit for us to support.
Giving Day – 16 September
On 16 September, The Covert Theatre is hosting a Giving Day to raise funds so that schools across New Zealand can access The Resilience Playground for free.
And here’s the best part: thanks to matching donors, every dollar given on the day will be doubled.
That means your support can go twice as far in helping the next generation of Kiwis build the skills they’ll need for the future.
Donate to The Resilience Playground
A small contribution, a big impact
We often say at Sandfield that innovation quickly becomes the norm and the same goes for resilience. It’s something we have to keep evolving and working on, both in business and in life.
By supporting The Resilience Playground, we’re helping kids build confidence, adaptability and emotional intelligence early. Skills that will carry them into adulthood, into workplaces (maybe future Sandfield stars), and into communities where these capabilities are more needed than ever.
Sometimes resilience comes from shipping a tough project. Sometimes it comes from having a courageous conversation. And sometimes it comes from being brave enough to step on stage and say “yes, and…” with a smile.
We’re proud to back an initiative that makes learning those skills fun and we hope you’ll join us in supporting it too.
