Engaging Children in Behavior Change: An event recap and short research summary
In June we were honored to attend a star-studded event at the World Bank featuring Sesame Street's Global Health Ambassador Raya, math expert Count von Count, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and Sesame Workshop President and CEO Jeffrey Dunn, which explored the role of children in triggering behavior change.
At this event, the distinguished guests discussed Sesame Workshop's role in educating children, the need for innovation in disseminating behavior change messages, and how strategic partnerships can target the most entrenched development challenges. Ultimately, it was clear that if we hope to change the world, we must work to change the behavior of the next generation.
Indeed, it is a fact that many of us recite: that children can play an important role in WASH behavior change by sharing messages with family members and the community at large. But, what is the evidence around this? To answer this question, we conducted a short review of the evidence. Key findings include that:
- Children face challenges as change agents, particularly in terms of social power structures, and
- Empowering children as change agents shouldn't be considered a panacea, but
- Children can benefit from the opportunity to contribute to and have an impact on family health.
Read our full review of the evidence around children as agents of behavior change here.
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