THE JOAN GANZ COONEY CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL MEDIA AND RESEARCH INC

IN FY23, THE JOAN GANZ COONEY CENTER BUILT FROM ITS CENTRAL THEME OF HELPING THE CHILDREN'S MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR DESIGN WITH AND FOR KIDS TO PRIORITIZING CHILDREN'S BEST INTEREST IN THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIGITAL PRODUCTS THEY USE, TO MOBILIZE EVIDENCE AND RESEARCH-BASED APPROACHES TO DESIGN THAT INCLUDE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AS PARTNERS IN THE INNOVATION PROCESS. THIS EFFORT BUILDS ON RECENT REGULATORY MOMENTUM TOWARD ESTABLISHING STANDARDS FOR CHILDREN'S ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY, AND PRIVACY, AND OFFERS AN ASPIRATIONAL BUT ACHIEVABLE VISION FOR PRODUCTS THAT ARE TRULY CHILD CENTERED. (SEE SCHEDULE O)THE CENTER'S KEY PRIORITIES REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH FY23:1. ENABLE INNOVATORS TO DESIGN WITH AND FOR KIDS 2. PROMOTE CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING IN A DIGITAL WORLD3. SUPPORT MEDIA INNOVATION WITH YOUTH AUDIENCESDESIGNING WITH AND FOR KIDSTHE CENTER FORMALLY ANNOUNCED ITS COMMITMENT TO PUTTING KIDS AT THE CENTER OF DESIGN WITH OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE SANDBOX, AN INNOVATION AND DESIGN LAB FOR NEW DIGITAL PRODUCTS. THE SANDBOX LEVERAGES CHILD-CENTERED DESIGN PRACTICES AND RESEARCH EXPERTISE TO HELP DIGITAL DESIGNERS (1) BUILD BETTER DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTS THAT LEAD TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR KIDS, (2) ACQUIRE A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW RESEARCH AND PARTICIPATORY METHODS CAN LEAD TO PRODUCTS THAT BETTER ENGAGE KIDS AND ACHIEVE THEIR INTENDED IMPACT, AND (3) ENGAGE KIDS IN PRODUCT IDEATION, INCLUDING THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SYSTEMICALLY UNDER-REPRESENTED IN DESIGN. WITH A COMBINATION OF PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING AND EARNED REVENUE, THE CENTER WORKED WITH A RANGE OF PRODUCT TEAMS FROM SMALL AI EDUCATION STARTUPS TO AN ESTABLISH NONPROFIT WITH A GLOBAL REACH. THE WORK WAS CARRIED OUT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LABS IN NYC, BALTIMORE, AND SEATTLE THAT HELPED RECRUIT DIVERSE CHILDREN AND STAFF SESSIONS WITH RESEARCH ASSISTANTS.PROMOTING CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING IN A DIGITAL WORLDTHE CENTER CONTINUED ITS WORK TO DEFINE AND BUILD AWARENESS OF THE EMERGING DOMAIN OF CHILDREN'S WELL-BEING IN DIGITAL SPACES. THE TEAM CONTINUED TO LEAD A MULTI-SECTOR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN FOR THE RITEC INITIATIVE ("RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION IN TECHNOLOGY FOR CHILDREN"), IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LEGO GROUP AND UNICEF, PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON THE US BUT ALSO COORDINATING WITH SIMILAR EFFORTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES. THE CENTER ALSO CONTINUED TO DEVELOP A "DIGITAL THRIVING PLAYBOOK" BY AND FOR THE ONLINE GAMING INDUSTRY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FAIR PLAY ALLIANCE, TO PROMOTE POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN GAME PLAY. THE TEAM HOSTED OR PARTICIPATED IN 11 EVENTS THAT WERE ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 1,600 ATTENDEES, PROMOTED WELL-BEING TOPICS AND ACTIVITIES ON THEIR BLOG AND VIA SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, AND LAUNCHING A NEW DESIGN WELL, PLAY WELL ONLINE HUB TO COLLECT AND SHARE WORK FROM THE FIELD.SUPPORTING MEDIA INNOVATION FOR YOUTH AUDIENCESTHE CENTER CONCLUDED ITS THREE-YEAR NEXT GEN PUBLIC MEDIA PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING, WHICH WAS FOCUSED ON HELPING PUBLIC TELEVISION AND RADIO STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BETTER ENGAGE TWEEN AND TEEN AUDIENCES. THE TEAM ENGAGED MORE THAN 100 STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN REGULAR COMMUNITY OFFERINGS INCLUDING AN ACTIVE PEER LEARNING COMMUNITY, A WEBINAR SERIES, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS. THE CENTER ALSO OFFERED A FUNDED ACCELERATOR FOR 12 STATIONS TO PILOT AND EXPERIMENT WITH NEW APPROACHES TO YOUTH-FOCUSED INITIATIVES, LEVERAGING THE TEAM'S PUBLISHED REPORTS FREQUENTLY CITED BY THE PUBLIC MEDIA FIELD AND BEYOND, INCLUDING THE MISSING MIDDLE (MAY 2021), GEN Z IN THE ROOM (JANUARY 2023), AND A SERIES OF RESEARCH PRACTICE BRIEFS, FOUND AT TOOLKIT.NEXTGENPUBLICMEDIA.ORG.COMMUNICATIONS HIGHLIGHTSTHE CENTER OFFERED SEASON 2 OF THE "INTO THE DIGITAL FUTURE" PODCAST, A SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS HOSTED BY COONEY CENTER SENIOR FELLOW JORDAN SHAPIRO AND ROBLOX'S DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CIVILITY LAURA HIGGINS. GUESTS INCLUDED LEADERS IN THE FIELDS OF CHILDREN'S MEDIA, TECH, HEALTH, AND RESEARCH. GUESTS INCLUDED AUSTRALIA'S ESAFETY COMMISSIONER AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION, THE UNITED NATIONS, AND A RANGE OF COMPANIES AND NONPROFITS.THE TEAM PRESENTED THEIR WORK AT ANNUAL CONFERENCES HELD BY THE MILKEN INSTITUTE, THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT, SXSW, ASU+GSV, GAMES FOR CHANGE, ACM INTERACTION DESIGN AND CHILDREN (IDC), ALL TECH IS HUMAN, DUST OR MAGIC, AND OTHERS.