'Clutch Power' and our values
This week we welcomed new members to the community, both staff and students. In assembly we reflected a little on relationships, one of our themes for the year, using an analogy from LEGO, and that is what I would like to share with you in this post. I promise not to talk about LEGO too often in the months and years ahead!
Not many people know that the Kirk Christiansen family who created LEGO, did not invent the idea of stacking plastic bricks. In fact they bought the idea after seeing it at a toy expo. But, Godtfred, (the grandfather of the current owner), saw the potential of the toy, if only the bricks would stick together. He patented the idea of studs and tubes inside and on top of the bricks, which created what is called at LEGO, 'clutch power'. The idea was that every brick ever made, would be able to connect and bind strongly with any other piece.
And there are a huge range of diverse pieces. Even the minifigures, were designed to do the same, and could be used as a brick, all because of clutch power.
What has that to do with ISA? Well, our values are our clutch power. When we respect others, when we strive in collaboration with others for excellence, when we celebrate diversity, when we care for the ISA community family, when we strive to nurture each other with integrity, and when we commit to service, we are using clutch power. These are the things that mean we can quickly form relationships, friendship groups, teams and communities. When we move into new communities, we have the clutch power to reconnect with new people and existing friends, and make sure everyone is included and connected. And just as LEGO bricks made 50 years ago, still connect perfectly with bricks made today, so our values are lifelong powers to build relationships with those we live, work and play with.
For many children (and adults), moving to a new school or country, can feel like you have just dropped the LEGO set. Everything used to fit together, you were surrounded by relationships and everything had a place, then suddenly things feel more like a pile of disconnected bricks. So now is a great time to use clutch power - use our values to reach out, make new connections and new friends, and be the person who notices if a brick is not part of the build, and connect it.
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