Sesame Workshop
Lil Mug, Secretary and Public Relations for the St. Louis Chapter Bikers Against Child Abuse®
Most people know Sesame Street, the friendliest (and longest) street in the world and the setting of the eponymous children’s television show that has educated and entertained children on six continents since it first aired more than 50 years ago. Many less people, however, are familiar with the nonprofit behind it, Sesame Workshop, an organization serving children in 150 countries that aims to help children everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. Sesame Workshop’s trove of free materials designed for children and families facing challenges big and small is an incredible resource for CONTACT partners—or anyone who loves or works with children.
While Sesame Workshop’s website contains helpful resources about many important topics from literacy to physical health, many CONTACT providers may be especially interested in exploring the Tough Topics tab. Here, Sesame Workshop offers a wealth of handouts, videos, stories, and activities for children (and the adults caring for them) experiencing difficult life circumstances such as homelessness, grief, relative incarceration, foster care, violence, displacement, and more. Each material is engaging, addresses complex issues in a developmentally appropriate way, and supports children’s resilience and coping.
The parental addiction set of resources is a favorite for this CONTACT team member. This is a topic that directly impacts millions of children across the world, but for which few resources geared towards young children exist. Adults often don’t know how to talk about this subject with children, so many simply avoid it, leaving children to draw their own conclusions—often troublingly inaccurate and unhelpful—about what’s happening in their families. The heartbreaking result for many of these children is internalized shame, feelings of isolation, and deep fears and concerns that are never directly addressed.
Sesame Workshop’s parental addiction resources help adults find the words to use. In a short, engaging, and moving video clip, Elmo helps his friend Karli understand that her mom’s “stopping problem” is not her fault. A printable coloring page reminds children (and their grown-ups) about the “7 C’s” of parental addiction: you didn’t cause the problem, you can’t control it, and you can’t cure it. But you can take care of yourself, communicate feelings, make healthy choices, and celebrate yourself. Healthy messages, all. As Mr. Rogers once said, once the unmentionable is made mentionable, it becomes manageable.