Naître et grandir campaign: Managing emotions is something children have to learn
Press Release
Quebec City, November 3, 2015 - Today, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation launched a new phase in its Naître et grandir (Help them grow) campaign aimed primarily at parents of young children five and under. This latest phase, which builds on last year's campaign, focuses on the subject of children's emotions.
The objective of last year's campaign was to make parents aware that social skills-the attitudes and behaviours that enable children to make contact and get along with others, make friends, work in groups and take their own place-have to be learned, and that parents can begin using simple actions very early in their children's lives to help them acquire these skills. The campaign, which achieved high awareness (65%) and appreciation (95%) among parents of young children, was successful in achieving its goals*. The proportion of respondents who said that parents could begin teaching their children social skills from as early as 0-2 years of age rose from 77% in October 2014 to 82% in the winter of 2015.
As much as parents of young children greatly appreciated the information on prosocial skill development, they also expressed their distress at their children's inability to control their emotions. "This year, we chose to focus on the childhood tantrums that all parents have experienced and that can be very difficult to deal with. We want to show that tantrums are a normal part of development and that it is possible to teach children to manage their emotions," explained Claude Chagnon, President of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation at the campaign launch during the Avenir d'enfants conference Tous pour eux.
The Naître et grandir 2015-2016 social campaign is multifaceted:
- Two 30-second TV spots will run from early November until the end of January 2016, reminding parents that tantrums are a normal part of childhood development and that it is possible to handle them effectively.
- A website feature will provide simple tips and advice as well as video clips (http://helpthemgrow.com) of parents talking about their experiences. The new feature will be integrated into the Naitreetgrandir.com website, adding to all the other content on social skills that is already online.
- New this year: A making-of video of the ad will be available for viewing on the Naître et grandir site.
- The November issue of the Naître et grandir magazine will also feature a report on this subject, explaining what is innate and what is learned in the characters of very young children and in the development of their personality. The magazine is distributed free of charge in 4,000 locations popular with young families.
- During the holiday season, 35,000 emotion matching games will be offered free of charge to toddlers visiting Santa Claus.
- In order to reach as many parents as possible, the new website feature will also be published on social media and web banners.
- Parents from other countries (Haiti, Morocco, Algeria, Latin America [Spanish], China, Lebanon and Romania) will also be made aware of the campaign through radio messages in their own language and printed advertising in local weekly newspapers.
To consult the web folder :
http://naitreetgrandir.com/en/feature/getting-handle-on-people-emotion/
Naître et grandir Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/NaitreGrandir
*As was done for the previous campaigns that were systematically evaluated, an initial study was conducted by Léger in October 2014 to gather data on Quebecers' beliefs, attitudes and behaviours with respect to the development of social skills in very young children. Léger later conducted a full evaluation of the campaign that ran through the fall and winter of 2014-2015.
About Naître et grandir
Naître et grandir is first and foremost a source of reference, information and motivation for parents during pregnancy and the very first years of a child's life. Naitre et grandir is a website, magazine and social campaign: all tools created by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation to inform parents and increase social awareness of the importance of early childhood development in creating the conditions and environments that are conducive to educational success. www.naitreetgrandir.com
About the Foundation
The mission of the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation is to prevent poverty by contributing to the educational success of young people living in Quebec from conception to age 17 by helping them to develop their full potential. To do so, it supports local and regional mobilization in areas that are critical to educational success: early childhood development and student retention. The Foundation also provides support for awareness activities and tools for parents and Quebec society as a whole.
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For more information:
Claire Neveux
Communications Coordinator and Editor
Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation
neveuxc@fondationchagnon.org
Tel.: 514-380-2001, ext. 1061
