History

In 2000, a small group of individuals looking for a way to make a difference decided that building world peace by working with societies in conflicted areas of the world was a meaningful goal. Since children live at the center of any community and are sensitive to the entrenched beliefs of the adults around them, the group decided to reach out to children in these areas of conflict, and the Peace Initiatives Institute was born.

Approach

In reaching out, Pii evaluated what factors influence children most. It quickly became clear that mass media advertisements would provide the best means to teach children to respect others who are different from themselves. This resulted in a groundbreaking approach distinguished by:

• Combining mass media and classroom instruction
• Reaching out to young children to help reduce societal conflict
• Committing to long-term, multi-year efforts with each program
• Immersing teachers in extensive training experiences which included self-evaluation of personal history and attitudes regarding others who are different
• Building programs at the grassroots level with local partners who participate in on-the-ground research, advisory councils, and creative and implementation teams
• Measuring results of a social action program aimed at very young children

First Northern Ireland

Pii chose Northern Ireland for its first Media Initiative for Children program because the country had recently ended its 30-year “Troubles” war and comparatively low-intensity conflict. 3,700 people died in this war. Today, society is still dealing with the scars in various forms of discrimination and in school segregation for 94% of children who are divided into Catholic and Protestant institutions.

The first task was to develop a grassroots advisory council in Northern Ireland consisting of thought-leaders from education, peace building, community relations, media, and other segments of the community. With the help of the advisory council, local partnerships were formed. NIPPA, the Early Years Organisation, was invited to help us develop the MIFC preschool curricula, materials, and teacher training. The MIFC-N.I. combines four 60-second TV cartoon messages with intense preschool learning in early years education settings. The curricula include detailed teaching instruction supported by dolls, puzzles, and songs based on the TV cartoon characters.

Launch and Results

After a successful 6-week pilot in spring 2004, the program was launched throughout Northern Ireland in April 2005. By spring 2007, more than 450 teachers had been trained in the program and the MIFC had reached more than 10,000 preschool-age children. Research shows that, as a result of the MIFC, a significant percentage of these children:

• Are more aware that some children are excluded because they are different
• Understand that children are sad when they are excluded because of being different
• Are willing to change their behavior and include those who are different in their play and activities

Pii found that the TV messages and positive experiences of the preschool children involved in the program impacted siblings, parents, and others in the community. Local communities began to see that people of different cultures can coexist successfully.

Expansion

The success of the program has led the Northern Ireland government to provide funding to integrate the MIFC into primary grade levels and expand the program into its “statutory” (public school) curriculum at lower grade levels.

Pii is currently working on an MIFC in Scotland and evaluating programs for the Baltic region and Rwanda.