Magnet

26.07.2024

Magnet is a board game club that brings together people with sharp minds and strong character every Friday at 5:00 PM at 51B Volodymyrska Street. The club is open to everyone. Over more than two years, it has hosted more than 100 board game sessions.

Holka stitches together the tears in our social fabric, bringing people into one strong community united by shared values and principles. Together, we advocate for and implement initiatives that help Ukraine grow, strengthen democratic institutions, and shape better public policies.

Innovation, discovery, and progress flourish in communities that understand the importance of play. Play fuels exploration because it makes the brain more flexible, adaptive, and open to new ideas. It reshapes the way we think, reveals possibilities we might not otherwise see, and expands the horizons of our imagination. Humanity’s greatest achievements have always begun with imagination. If you can imagine it, you can create it—and play has the power to awaken that imagination in everyone.

Why Is Playful Thinking Important?

Edward Hallowell

american psychiatrist, speaker, New York Times bestselling author, and podcaster

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Christopher Columbus was immersed in play when he conceived the idea that the Earth was round. Isaac Newton was playing with ideas when he saw an apple tree and suddenly understood the force of gravity. James Watson and Francis Crick were experimenting playfully with possible models of the DNA molecule when they discovered the double helix. William Shakespeare spent a lifetime playing with iambic pentameter. Mozart played almost constantly—except when he was asleep. And Albert Einstein's famous thought experiments are remarkable examples of what happens when the human mind is invited to play.

Because Holka conducts research and advocates for political and public policy reforms, our board game club is much more than part of our organizational culture—it is a community-building space.

Many of the club’s participants have worked together on major research initiatives and successfully advocated for the adoption of important legislation by the Ukrainian Parliament.

Just as importantly, play is an antidote to stress. In the context of war, it provides our community members with an opportunity to recharge, reconnect, and build resilience together.