Kids who want to help out and create change in their local communities now have a set of tools to help them get started from Nickelodeon, which on Tuesday launched global initiative Our World in the U.S.

The initiative comprises a coalition of partners including 4-H, Ashoka, Association of Children’s Museums, Change X and the Aspen Institute. Nickelodeon plans to launch Our World in the U.K. and Mexico later this year and in additional markets through 2024.

“With Our World, Nickelodeon is building on its longstanding prosocial legacy and community relationships, harnessing the power of the brand’s iconic franchises and global ecosystem, as well as the expertise of our coalition of partners to upskill, uplift, and empower kids around the world,” said Marva Smalls, executive vice president, public affairs, Nickelodeon, and executive vice president, global head of inclusion at Paramount in a statement. “Through this initiative we will provide accessible pathways to encourage kids to take action, no matter how small, and inspire them to believe they can make a difference.”

In 2022, Nickelodeon spoke to more than 800 kids, aged 8-13, and their responses provided an incisive look at a generation of kids facing unprecedented, complex challenges that are taking an emotional and mental toll. When Nickelodeon asked kids if they felt they could affect change, almost half (46%) said no.

“Our World is built on the principle that nourishing kids’ relentless optimism and joyful creativity is needed now more than ever,” said Nickelodeon.

Our World will focus on helping kids to develop their own agency and will include a digital destination that links kids, parents and caregivers to developmentally appropriate activities, as well as to partner organizations with additional resources. The brand also will amplify kids’ experiences, telling their stories across its global ecosystem of platforms. Additionally, Nickelodeon will leverage its proprietary research on the topic of youth agency in kids under the age of 13 to inform a recurring newsletter for national and community-based youth-serving organizations.

At launch, Our World partners include:

4-H – As America’s largest youth development organization, Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program empowers nearly six million young people to find their spark and develop the skills to lead for a lifetime. 4-H’s mission is to provide opportunity for all youth—regardless of circumstance—through mentorship and diverse programming in areas such as STEM, healthy living, agriculture, the arts and civic engagement.

Ashoka – Pioneers in social entrepreneurship, Ashoka has supported more than 3,800 social innovators in 95 countries and worked with 500,000 youth on their journey to become changemakers.

Association of Children’s Museums – The Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) champions children’s museums and their ability to enrich the lives of children worldwide. With more than 470 members across the U.S. and in 16 countries, the association leverages the field’s collective knowledge through convening, sharing, and dissemination.

ChangeX – ChangeX is a grassroots movement progressing the world forward by making proven innovations and grant finance accessible to everyone, everywhere. Its community engagement platform is designed to get funding and resources directly into the hands of everyday people to lead impactful projects in their neighborhoods. The brands partnered last fall to empower more than 20 teams of young activists and change-makers in Atlanta and Los Angeles. Additional funds serving cities around the world are planned through 2024 and will be announced at a later date.

The Aspen Institute – The Aspen Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes social entrepreneurship by connecting and supporting individual social entrepreneurs. Nickelodeon’s Our World collaborated with Aspen Institute to develop a guidebook to help parents and their kids take action in their communities and are planning to co-create additional community guides related to youth sports.

Caregivers and kids can access resources and more information about Nickelodeon’s Our World at www.nickourworld.com.

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