Sesame Street Joins The Battle Against Opioid Crisis

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Karli the new Muppet teaches youth about the dangers of addiction:

The opioid epidemic is just one part of the addiction pandemic. There are so many hooked on drugs of dependence from pharmaceuticals to illicit and more – and there’s no way to get around the fact that some kids will be caught up in a situation where parents are addicted and start losing grip of life – which includes their kids. While we feel beyond blessed this didn’t happen in our lives, both of us as parents know all too well what it’s like to be in recovery and gain life back after pharmaceuticals or a dependence/addiction took control. While we could never imagine letting our kids go without – at some point the devastation of addiction overcomes some of the brightest people I’ve known through the years and this tragedy occurs. People make very poor choices when drugs or alcohol takes over, and the bottom line is children are affected. In our own cases, in dealing with addiction/recovery, our homemade the choice to gain control long before it affected kids at all. But, in many cases that simply doesn’t happen and children end up in a bad situation over the choice of an older generation – it’s a sensitive subject I personally endured as a child. This is why the Sesame Street “opioid awareness” Muppet show is so beautiful to see – there are so many kids in the system wondering ‘why’. As well there are countless others not understanding what their friend is going through. Our youth are filled with love and empathy for each other and by promoting this type of program we can make the small changes in this world that lead to big changes in individual lives.

Earlier this year, the producers at Sesame Street came up with a new storyline, in which Karli, a 6 yr old very cute green Muppet with pig tales and a smile, became the show’s first character that actually lives in foster care. The online series known as Sesame Street in Communities is explaining why Karli’s mom had to go away – allowing other kids that have parents struggling with addiction to no longer feel alone in it as well as to raise awareness to other children in regards to this surmounting issue. The kid’s show has covered many different social issues in the past, but this one comes as a surprise to many. A character named Lily from last December was homeless – another huge issue that faces all nations. Children learn young so this unanticipated move by a kids show to start the learning early is more than welcome by the world at large. We know the devastation of addiction and the battle of recovery, many times kids go through quite a bit as their friends simply don’t understand but Sesame Street is doing all they can to change this.

In a video “A Friend Like You” posted on YouTube, Karli introduces her human friend Salia Woodbury, a 10-year-old who shares the story of her own parents’ battle with opioid addiction (watch the segment below). “Both our parents have had the same problem: addiction,” Karli says to the camera.

“In new videos and other content, favorite ‘Sesame Street’ characters like Elmo and Abby Cadabby learn what Karli is going through and help their friend to cope,” Sesame Workshop said in a press release. In one video, Karli tells Elmo that her mom attends meetings every day to stay healthy and she goes to meetings with other kids to share her own experience. In an interview, Sesame Workshop stated there are 5.7 million children under the age of 11 in the U.S. that live with a parent battling a substance abuse disorder. That’s one in eight kids and doesn’t include children who have been separated from a parent due to circumstances like divorce, incarceration or death related to their addiction. “Addiction is often seen as a ‘grown-up’ issue, but it impacts children in ways that aren’t always visible,” said Sherrie Westin, President of Social Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “Having a parent battling addiction can be one of the most isolating and stressful situations young children and their families face.” They went on to state that “‘Sesame Street’ has always been a source of comfort to children during the toughest of times, and our new resources are designed to break down the stigma of parental addiction and help families build hope for the future.”

Addiction is seen as a “grown-up issue” but it impacts children in ways that often aren’t visible. Take a look at our new resources that help the whole family cope and build hope for the future. https://t.co/q0DfjcLE0A #SunnyDaysAhead pic.twitter.com/xshx5ixIpp
— Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) October 10, 2019

The upcoming bilingual segments will also feature 10-year-old Salia Woodbury, whose parents have been in recovery for about eight years. “Hi, it’s me, Karli. I’m here with my friend Salia. Both of our parents have had the same problem — addiction,” Karli told the camera, according to The Associated Press. “My mom was having a hard time with addiction and I felt like my family was the only one going through it. But now I’ve met so many other kids like us. It makes me feel like we’re not alone,” Karli said. “Right, we’re not alone,” Salia responded. “And it’s OK to open up to people about our feelings.” “For everything we’ve done — from military families to homelessness — it’s all about how to make children free to talk and to give parents the tools to do just that,” Westin said. “They tend to avoid it and it’s what they need more than anything.”

Credit CBS News for quotes/videos

Without a doubt programs like this will save lives…