Street Gang:
How We Got to Sesame Street
Film Synopsis
Street Gang captures how a small group of unlikely characters combined research and entertainment to solve a seemingly impossible problem. In doing so, they fundamentally changed the future of countless human beings across the globe.
Climate LENS
The film has absolutely nothing to do with climate, and yet it may very well be the most profoundly instructional film about the kind and quantity of needed climate narratives given how well Sesame Street combined education and entertainment.
Climate Discussion & Reflection Prompts
In a television interview early in Street Gang, it is said that, "Sesame Street is what happens when TV loves you instead of trying to sell to you." Think about all the climate content you see every day — from all perspectives. Does any of it feel like it cares for you or comes even close to loving you? If not, how could it?
What, besides time, does it take for people to take steps towards new ideas and change from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset? How do ideas like what became Sesame Street — that seem incredibly outlandish at the time — transform into widely accepted truths that seem so obvious? Are there climate examples already?
Think about how diverse the cast and crew necessary to create Sesame Street was. Who are the characters, creators and crew in our current climate solutions efforts? Who are we missing?
Sesame Street took the tragedy of Mr. Hooper's death and used it as a profound opportunity to teach and create understanding around such a difficult subject. How could the same approach be applied to the deaths suffered and lives lost to climate disasters? How could potential mass deaths from future climate disasters be expressed in more human, emotional ways that might encourage us to spend more meaningful time with those thoughts instead of running away from them and choosing to forget them as soon as possible?
The mission of Sesame Street was to improve reading, math, and social intelligence of mostly urban, economically disadvantaged young children, many of them of color, in order to improve the success of those kids in public schools. There were kids of all geographies and races at the time who needed help with reading education in general, but Sesame Street very purposely focused on a hyper-specific “bullseye” audience. The target audience for a large, coordinated, sustained climate change communication effort could be any/every one. If we were to focus climate education on a hyper-specific “bullseye” audience, describe that bullseye and explain why.
Thinking about the origins and intentions of the Children’s Television Workshop, and allowing for the significant changes in media platforms and audience expectations, can you imagine a Climate Storytelling Workshop project now? What would that look like? Who would it involve? What could it realistically accomplish? What would it need to accomplish?