Seven Essential Elements for Creating Effective Children's Media to Promote Peacebuilding: Lessons from International Coproductions of Sesame Street and Other Children's Media Programs.
Cole, Charlotte F;Lee, June H;Bucuvalas, Abigail;Sırali, Yasemin;
New directions for child and adolescent development2018Vol. 2018pp. 55-69
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cole2018sevennew
Abstract
Children's media have the capacity to prepare young learners to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to contribute to a more peaceful world. Research suggests international coproductions of Sesame Street and other children's media efforts are linked to positive impact on how viewers perceive themselves and their own cultures, as well as how they perceive others. Creating such media, however, relies on a commitment to a complex development process where the educational needs of children are considered alongside intra- and intergroup dynamics and political realities. This paper presents a practitioners' perspective on the essential components of children's media programs for peacebuilding and, in so doing, recommends a way forward for producing children's media in this domain.