Inspiring Change with Nickelodeon Our World
Rally to Read 100 is Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF) annual 6-month reading engagement initiative, featuring monthly read-alouds from acclaimed authors, a book giveaway sweepstakes, and more reading fun. We are thrilled to have Nickelodeon on board as one of our Rally to Read promotional partners and recently got the chance to sit down and chat with them about the importance of boosting children’s confidence while equipping them to initiate change in their own backyards. Read on to learn about Nickelodeon Our World, an initiative designed to help children develop agency, the synergies between our missions, and the importance of children’s literacy!
For those who may not be familiar, can you share a little bit about Nickelodeon Our World initiative? In what ways do you believe this initiative aligns with RIF's February Rally to Read theme, Changemakers?
Nickelodeon Our World recognizes and celebrates kids being central to changemaking, whether that change is in their own lives, at school, in their community, or out in the world. Nick has always believed in nurturing kids’ natural curiosity, creativity, and innate desire to help others and the world around them. Nickelodeon Our World provides kids with resources and opportunities to develop a healthy sense of self-confidence and for building leadership skills. Through Our World, and with past initiatives dating back to the Big Help, Nickelodeon has witnessed firsthand kids making a real difference in the world.
The Our World initiative focuses heavily on cultivating youth agency. What are some of the ways you support children in developing leadership skills? Are there specific resources or opportunities provided that can help kids initiate and lead community projects?
Our World has a strong coalition of like-minded partners that support youth agency. Here are just a few examples: each World Children’s Day, we partner with UNICEF USA and celebrate with Our World “Kids Take Charge Day,” which empowers kids across the United States to share their thoughts on how to make the world a better place. This past November, several kids from our partner organization, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., took over our local CBS Newsrooms across the country and concluded the experience with their live on-air “kid-cast.”
Our World also supports the positive impact of active play on mental health. Every September we celebrate Worldwide Day of Play and partner with the Association of Children's Museums. Last year, 195 children’s museums across the globe hosted play events and Our World activities for kids and families.
Additionally, we encourage all kids everywhere, and youth organizations, to explore Our World for evergreen resources and opportunities to get inspiration, help build their self- confidence, and acquire the skills they need to navigate an ever-changing world. Within Our World, they will find content about how they can present their ideas, dreaming big, sharing their vision boards, caring for the environment, media literacy, skill building through play, and so much more!
Unfortunately, children do not always recognize their full potential, something both of our organizations work hard to combat. What strategies can shift their perception and empower them? Do you see a way that RIF’s efforts - ensuring success through literacy - complements your focus
Definitely! Literacy and the joys of learning and exploring are fundamental in empowering kids to manifest their visions and dreams for themselves and for the world around them. We work closely with our partner organizations and schools, through the Nickelodeon School Partnership Program, to provide monthly resources and opportunities to ignite kids’ passion for learning. We’ve been so pleased to have RIF has a regular contributor to our NSPP newsletter offering free resources to our participating schools to help drive that message.
At Nickelodeon we also believe that one way to help kids recognize their potential is by “seeing themselves” on screen—identifying with real-life kids and increasing the visibility of young changemakers. More of that to come in 2025!
Is there a specific kid-inspired or kid-led project that has emerged from the initiative that is especially memorable to you?
In 2024, for the first time, the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards honored 14 everyday kid leaders across the country, making our world a better place in ways big and small. These youngest honorees exemplified the amazing potential kids can reach when they have a strong sense of agency and the confidence to take action, benefiting other kids and adults alike. Please take a moment to watch the short KCA video.
Also, through our partner ChangeX, Nickelodeon has provided Our World Project Funds for hundreds of kid-inspired, kid-led projects alongside facilitating adults. Thousands of kids have participated in projects focused on the environment, civics and leadership, play and sports, empathy, and more. Here is just one example: Daughter of the King Community Garden Free Pantry (New Orleans, LA).
On a more personal note, what role did reading have in your own youth? Do you have a favorite children’s book?
I loved books and reading from early on, and the feeling of being transported to other worlds. I felt very connected to the characters and stories especially as a child, which eventually led me into pursuing a theater major. It’s hard to pick just one favorite, as so many come to mind. I remember loving my Little Golden Books series, all fairy tales, and I still have my beloved pop-up animal book to this day! As a preteen, I was a big fan of Lois Duncan mysteries and “which-way” books.
If you had to give one piece of advice to a young changemaker, what would that be?
You are more powerful than you know! Seek trusted mentors who can encourage and guide you. Always believe in yourself, your gifts, and your vision. Never give up on yourself. Stay curious, and keep learning, reading, and exploring. You can make a difference. Stay true to yourself and keep soaring—at any age!
As Senior Director of Nickelodeon Public Affairs, Martha Ribeiro oversees the first-ever Nickelodeon School Partnership Program with Title 1 schools across the United States, helping to create access to virtual experiences and educational resources in communities where kids have limited opportunities. Over her many years at Nickelodeon, Martha has worked on a wide range of social impact campaigns and educational outreach programs, including The Big Help, Let’s Just Play, Kids Pick the President, Cable in the Classroom, and currently, Nickelodeon Our World. Martha also produces in-house executive and employee corporate events and has vast experience in workplace management and space planning. Prior to joining the Public Affairs team, Martha worked in the Consumer Products and Production divisions at Nickelodeon.