Tell Scouting How to Get to Sesame Street
Written by Rani Monson, Innovation
As the Boy Scouts of America gears up to celebrate the big 1-0-0, it’s a great opportunity to learn from another well-known nonprofit also celebrating an anniversary: PBS’s Sesame Street. Those who think the BSA has nothing to learn from a bunch of puppets need to visit the sunny, fictional street synonymous with children’s television.
Over the past four decades, Sesame Street became the longest-running children’s program for one reason: innovation. When the show launched in 1969, the goal was to try to use television to educate low-income kids with the fundamentals they needed as prerequisites to elementary school. Not knowing if the efforts would succeed, the show was dubbed an “experiment.”
What are the ramifications of being an experiment? You must continue to change! With Sesame Street, the originators knew there were no guarantees. The idea of a “next” was desired but not certain. That meant continuous improvement became essential and was a survival technique.
Changing With the Times
The beginning success of the show enjoyed didn’t last. With declining ratings, Sesame Street was forced to face the competition. Remember Barney? Producers recognized that children’s learning methods had changed. What they were doing at Sesame Street wasn’t keeping up.
What did they do? They innovated:
- The theme song is different, the graffiti is gone, and topics are timely. Think war and AIDS.
- Cookie Monster has added fruits and veggies to his diet.
Today’s Sesame Street isn’t the one any of us remember from our youth. Instead, the show has successfully continued to evolve and reinvent itself to stay relevant to today’s youth.
- Kids can go online and download Sesame Street e-books for free.
- And yes, Sesame Street has an iPhone app.
Experimenting in the BSA
The BSA has its own “ratings” concern of sorts: declining membership. What if Scouting faced cancellation? Might you do your job differently? What if each of us viewed our job as an experiment, knowing we needed to keep improving? Would you try new things? Involve others in brainstorming?
Look closer and see the similarities between Scouting and Sesame Street:
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Both programs are trying to reach youth in a number of different languages and markets to help them reach their full potential.
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Each is a nonprofit where the bills are paid by grants, companies, and supporters.
While nostalgia is nice, Sesame Street recognized that it doesn’t pay the bills. Forty years later, Sesame Street still views itself as an experiment.
Sesame Street realizes if they embrace the changes in children, the show will succeed and children will benefit. If they ignore the changes, the kids will go away, replacing their Sesame Street habit with alternatives.
Let’s all think about how we can take a walk on Sesame Street this year. Have a yearning for your youth? No worries! Download the Sesame Street theme song from your era as your cell phone ringtone.
For more information contact Rani Monson
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