Common Thread

These days, good news seems hard to come by. It takes a lot of energy and intention to find it. But we must. Because there is no way out of the darkness, without a little light. It won’t be easy. Death and destruction seem to dominate our feeds. But these positive news sources are lightening our load, and our worldview: Reasons to be Cheerful The Optimist Daily YES! Media Good News Network Add these to your rotation for less doom scrolls and more hopeful headlines. Here’s to a brighter 2025 💡 #NewYears #2025 #PositiveNews #GoodNews

July 2024. Work began on a UNICEF project spanning four countries to design a mechanism for collecting feedback from children and adolescents aged 4 to 17, ensuring their voices are not only heard but also incorporated into decision-making and actionable plans. With just two months to conduct research in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania and organize a workshop in Sofia, unexpected delays arose, leaving no flexibility to adjust the timeline. At times, the mission seemed nearly impossible. Despite these challenges, we conducted interviews with 44 children and adolescents, representatives from 12 national and local institutions, as well as 6 international experts. We also successfully organized a workshop in Sofia, which brought together 30 representatives from the four countries and over 10 young participants from Ukraine and Bulgaria. This success was made possible by the professionalism and unwavering support of The Service Studio project team d, and undoubtedly by the solid expertise and collaborative efforts of colleagues from UNICEF and partners from Common Thread As a result, four prototypes were developed, each tailored to the unique context and needs of different age groups. These prototypes have already been tested and refined during a second workshop held in Bucharest. Phew! Is the hardest part behind us? Not quite—there are even more exciting challenges ahead. Over the next five months, our focus will be on developing pilot versions and testing them in schools across Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Romania, engaging over 200 children and adolescents and 50+ representatives from national and local institutions. Special thanks to Oleg Koss for recommending Сервіс Студія for this project, and heartfelt gratitude to all colleagues for their invaluable collaboration, primarily to Anu Puri Maxim Fazlitdinov, Roza Dimova, Cristina Stratulat, Ivaylo Spasov Raluca, Andrea Naletto, Yasemin, Mike, Cassie, @hougholivia @jimenasalinasg Yaroslavl Ternovsyi, Veronika Gryschenko, Tina Polek, Oleksiy Moskalenko, Iurii Granovskyi Sofia Liakhova, Yulia Pichkarova, Alena N, Natalia V, Anna Z, Olena M, Sofia Dubchak, Andrii Kh, Mariana K, Katerina A @max_zhovtun

Vaccinating in Taliban Country by Sherine Guirguis and Michael Coleman In June 2012, North Waziristan’s Taliban leader issued a fatwa banning polio vaccination campaigns. The violence came swiftly.

Vaccinating in Taliban Country by Sherine Guirguis and Michael Coleman In June 2012, North Waziristan’s Taliban leader issued a fatwa banning polio vaccination campaigns. The violence came swiftly.

I am very excited to launch the last 2024 episode of #TheABCsofSBC podcast series. Having worked in the area of demand for #immunisation for more than a decade, this episode is very close to my heart. You might know this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme of Immunization (#EPI), a global initiative to get vaccines to every child, everywhere. While much progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more work to be done to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all.   In this episode, Qali Id speaks with Heidi Larson, Prof. Saad Omer and UNICEF SBC Specialist Francine Ganter Restrepo to understand what Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) can bring to the challenge of reaching everyone and navigating vaccination in a world still recovering from the impacts of COVID-19. Special thanks to Gloria Lihemo and Common Thread for making it possible! Our podcast website: https://lnkd.in/dUKmKKVE Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dtdQAK2u Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/dmy8Q6V6 Ephrem T Lemango, Deepa Risal Pokharel , Charles Kakaire, Surangani Abeyesekera, Eleonore Antoinette Ba-Nguz

I may have [13 Across] but my favourite part of UNICEF’s newest magazine is the Crossword. Some might argue that there are far more important pieces in the magazine, such as the case study on page 36 that dives in to [8 Down] for parenting in Nepal by Swechhya Shrestha, or page 16 where my co-founder Sherine Guirguis writes about how [6 Down] and Behaviour Change needs to be more like [19 Across], or even Vincent Petit’s article about why strengthening [4 Down] isn’t the key to crisis preparedness, but a strong foundation of trust is. But to really understand any of the above, you kind of need to see the Crossword, don’t you? 😏 This is what the magazine aims to do - give experts and non-experts alike a fun way to learn about Social and Behaviour Change, understand how it evolved to what it is today, and how it can continue evolving to tackle the complex global challenges that lie ahead. So while the magazine may have you spoiled for [2 Down], I think you should start with the crossword at page 18. Check out the digital version of the magazine where you can fill out the crossword online! https://lnkd.in/eZSCd645 UNICEF Common Thread #SocialBehaviouralChange #SBC #MagazineLaunch #OrganisationalChange #HCD #HumanCentredDesign #SocialSciences #BehaviouralScience #Crossword