Kids on the Block-Vermont

KOBVT consists of a troupe of puppets who teach children about disabilities, cultural diversity, children's mental health, social and safety issues, substance abuse, healthy bodies, and AIDS. The puppets, each with their own unique personalities, discuss the topic portrayed in a clear, non-threatening, entertaining manner. They work to dispel myths by providing accurate information and encouraging children to accept individual differences and feel positive about themselves.

Specifically, the educational troupe performs 50-minute puppet/workshop presentations for children in kindergarten through grade 8; performances typically involve 2 skits with a song. During the question-and-answer session that follows each skit, audiences are encouraged to express their feelings and concerns to the puppets, who then integrate the children's concerns and/or ideas - for instance, about using dialogue rather than violence to deal with a bully. Following some performances, KOBVT invites audience members to volunteer for workshop demonstrations that are designed to help them understand what it is like to live with disabilities, for example. In one simulation activity, a student is challenged to get dressed without standing up; in another, a student is asked to attempt buttoning a shirt with socks on his or her hands (to experience what it might be like to have difficulty with fine motor skills). Follow-up activities and resource materials are also provided. (The KOBVT website offers details about this process, descriptions of each puppet, and information about scheduling a school visit.)

KOBVT also involves some components meant for professionals and other adults. For example, in November 2006, the organisation presented a daylong conference for parents, school personnel, mental health providers, and members of the medical profession that addressed the whole spectrum of body image, from childhood obesity to anorexia/bulimia. The keynote speaker focused on the role of mass media in the domains of negative body image and disordered eating.

Children.