Children Now
Organization Overview
Children Now is a national organization for people who care about children and want to ensure that they are the top public policy priority. Children Now uses research to advocate on behalf of the whole child in the areas of media, health and education.
Given the growing rate of childhood obesity, the pervasiveness of marketing to children and their unique vulnerability to commercial persuasion, Children Now believes it is essential to explore the media messages about nutrition that young people receive and to engage in a proactive, multi-faceted advocacy agenda to effect change.
Technical Support for HEAC Grantees
Children Now will provide technical support to strengthen the capacity of advocates of healthy nutrition and physical activity to influence positive changes, both voluntary and regulatory, in the children's media environment.
Children Now will conduct the following training and technical assistance services with HEAC collaborative partners:
- Educational workshops which will:
- provide an overview of the role of media in various public health issues, especially obesity;
- address the role that government agencies play in media policy;
- examine media policies that are in place to protect children; and
- discuss opportunities for community involvement.
- A meeting which will garner input from collaborative partners about the marketing of unhealthy foods to children to help shape Children Now's upcoming conference of media industry leaders;
- A briefing for collaborative partners to:
- share information from the conference;
- explore how to work voluntarily with the media industry to improve the children's media environment as it relates to healthy eating and physical activity; and
- determine what can be expected from such voluntary efforts.
To serve as a basis and a context for these discussions, Children Now will develop an agenda and convene industry leaders and experts for a conference entitled, Children & Media 2010. The goal of the conference is to define a children's media environment that can be achieved voluntarily, is healthy, socially, financially and creatively sustainable, and determine the steps needed to get there. From this meeting Children Now will produce a white paper which will be presented in post-conference briefings nationwide that will be an opportunity for integrating additional perspectives. After the completion of this process, Children Now will produce issue briefs about related media policy issues and voluntary industry practices.
Contact Information
Children Now
1212 Broadway, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
510-763-2444 |
Eileen Espejo, Principal Associate, Children & the Media Program
eespejo@childrennow.org |
Patti Miller, Director, Children & the Media Program
pmiller@childrennow.org |
Website: www.childrennow.org
