CCFC Honors Morgan Spurlock with Fred
Rogers Integrity Award
CCFC’s sixth annual Consuming
Kids summit got off to a flying start with the presentation of
the Fred Rogers Integrity Award to Morgan Spurlock at a
reception at Judge Baker Children’s Center. The award, named in
honor of the host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, is given by
CCFC to a public figure whose efforts to protect children from
harmful marketing best embody Fred Rogers' long-standing
commitment to nurturing the health and well-being of America's
children. Spurlock was honored for his Academy Award nominated
film Super Size Me, which educated millions of people
around the world about fast food marketing and the obesity
epidemic, and for his continued efforts to raise awareness about
the harmful effects of commercialism on children.
Spurlock recounted his own
childhood memories of Mr. Rogers before entertaining the
audience for more than an hour with clips from his films and
stories about McDonald’s, commercialism, activism and his own
unexpected success. Highlights included Spurlock’s rendition –
complete with dance moves – of the fast food song sung by
children at summer camps, his accounts of the infamous McLibel
case in Britain, Jose Bové’s bulldozing of a McDonald’s in
France, and his acknowledgement of the vegans in attendance:
“Broccoli posse, represent!” The audience also roared its
approval when Spurlock compared Ronald McDonald to a drug
pusher: “Did you ever notice the clown never eats the food?
That’s the dealer’s number one rule: Don’t get high on your own
supply.”
For photos and more
about the event, please visit:
http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/events/2008/spurlock.htm.
The Reviews are In: CCFC’s Sold-Out Summit a Smash Hit!
More than 200 parents,
educators, activists, and health care professional gathered at
Wheelock College in Boston for CCFC’s sixth summit:
Consuming Kids: The Sexualization of Children and Other
Commercial Calamites. Thanks so much to the
forty presenters who came from as far
away as
Australia
to make this our best summit yet. We’ll
have more about the summit in the coming weeks including, for
the first time, online video of many of the plenary sessions.
In the meantime, here’s what a few of the attendees had to say:
“Just the right balance of
infuriating info and inspiration . . . I feel I have no choice
but to go home and do something!”
“Loved with wide range of
topics of angles presented on the issue of sexualization of
children. . . . An amazing opportunity to meet and network with
like-minded, motivated activists for change.”
“I left thinking about what
I can do in my own home to fortify the lives of my children (and
myself). Thanks to the 2 sessions on play/creativity -- instead
of focusing on what to keep out (which I hand-wring over
plenty), I was reminded of what to BRING IN - old fashioned
story telling, time outdoors, creative exploration, make
believe. Yesterday was the best time I've had with my family in
weeks, because I was so inspired and with my slightest
provocation, we had so much fun.”
Advocates ask FTC to Tighten Rules for Online Data Collection
from Minors
Led by the Center for
Digital Democracy, a coalition of advocates (including CCFC) has
asked the Federal Trade Commission to limit the collect of
information online from children under 18 years old. Given
children’s developmental vulnerabilities to ads and their
inability to meaningfully consent to privacy policies that are
confusing to most adults, the coalition has asked the FTC to
prevent marketers from tracking minors online in order to serve
them targeted ads based on their web-surfing history. You can
read more about coalition efforts at
http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/ftcurged.htm.
The coalition’s letter
to the FTC and its list of signatories is available at
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/actions/behavioraladvertising.pdf.
Abercrombie and Fitch Emergency Room Update
CCFC’s campaign to stop
Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio from renaming
the Abercrombie & Fitch Emergency Department and Trauma Center
in exchange for a $10 million donation continues to gather
momentum. More than 3,000 of you have
sent letters to the hospital
and the campaign has generated extensive
national media coverage, including stories in the
Associated Press and
New York Times and all the
major cable news networks. Most importantly, we’ve heard from
several employees at the hospital informing us that our efforts
have reinvigorated internal opposition to the renaming. We’ll
keep you posted as things progress. In the meantime, if you
haven’t yet emailed the hospital, you can do so by
clicking here.
Two Great Upcoming Events: ACME Summit 2008 and the National
Conference on Media Reform: Minneapolis, June 5-8.
On June 5 in
Minneapolis, the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME)
will conduct a special one day teach-in. Learn a host of useful
media literacy education 2.0 tips, tools, techniques, and
strategies. Walk away with the knowledge, skills and civic
spirit desperately needed to challenge big media...and win! Use
our new and expanded tools of media literacy education (2.0) to
motivate citizens, parents and students in ways that turn them
into media reform activists who will be able to motivate people
toward media reform or any cause. Confirmed presenters include
ACME co-presidents Bob McCannon and Rob Williams, CCFC’s Josh
Golin, and Kendra Hodgson of the Media Education Foundation.
For more info, visit
http://acmecoalition.org/acme_summit_2008.
The ACME summit conference
precedes the National Conference on Media Reform on June 6-8 in
Minneapolis. Join more than 2,000 fellow activists, media
makers, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned
citizens in calling for real and lasting changes to our nation's
media system. Confirmed speakers include Dan Rather, Amy
Goodman, Bill Moyers, Naomi Klein, and Arianna Huffington. And
if you go, be sure to stop by the CCFC table in the exhibitor
hall and say hello!
Childhood & Society
Symposium: The Sexualization of Childhood. June 13-14,
Point Park University, Pittsburgh.
A two day seminar
featuring a group of experts who will examine the impact of
growing up in a sexualized culture on children’s health and
development, and what parents, professionals, and policy makers
can do about it. Confirmed speakers include CCFC’s Diane Levin
and Susan Linn. CE credits are available for psychologists.
For more information, visit
http://www.pointpark.edu/default.aspx?id=1902.
Book Review: Taking Back Childhood: - How to help your
kids thrive in a fast-paced, media-saturated, violence-filled
world by Nancy Carlsson-Paige.
Early childhood development
expert and longtime advisor to CCFC, Nancy Carlsson-Paige has
written the definitive guide to parenting in a commercialized
world. Grounded in child development theory and based on
Carlsson-Paige’s extensive work with parents, teachers and young
children, the book makes a passionate argument for why we need
to take back childhood and provides practical tips for doing
so. With chapters on reclaiming play, countering media
violence, and talking to kids about consumerism, as well as
suggestions for activism, Taking Back Childhood is
essential reading for everyone from seasoned CCFC activists to
new parents just beginning to grasp the extent of the commercial
assault headed for their children.
Action Alert: Tell the YMCA: Stop Partnering with Pepsico
National Action Against
Obesity has launched a campaign urging the YMCA – the nation’s
largest provider of daycare -- to end its partnership with
Pepsico and to pledge to remove junk food from their daycare
centers. To read NAAO’s letter and to add your name to this
effort, please visit
http://www.petitiononline.com/YMCAFood/petition.html.
