Zippy's Friends

Main researcher : Mishara Brian L.
Secondary researchers : Dufour Sarah

Zippy’s Friends is an innovative mental health promotion program for young school children age 6-7 that focuses on helping children learn better ways to cope with everyday problems. Coping refers to the different ways we react to stressful or difficult situations. This program is based upon the premise that if children can develop a better repertoire of coping mechanisms early in life they will be less likely to develop serious problems later on and if they do experience problems they are more likely to seek and use help. This program is based upon the theoretical approach of Lazarus and Folkman whose research clearly demonstrates that the negative consequences of stressful life events may be significantly diminished by using appropriate coping mechanisms.

The program helps children learn how to better adapt to everyday problems, to identify their feelings and to talk about and explore different ways to handle difficult situations and negative feelings. The program is not simply focused on how to help children solve their problems – it also emphasizes the importance of talking with and listening to others when they talk about their problems. The program emphasizes children’s abilities to give and receive help.

This program was developed for children age 6-7 in primary schools and includes 24 weekly sessions lasting about 45 minutes. The sessions are by 6 stories of a group of children and their pet, Zippy, a stick insect. The stories show how typical problematic situations young children often experience. The sessions concern how to deal with positive and negative feelings, communication skills, making and breaking relationships, conflict resolution, dealing with change and loss and starting anew. The stories are complemented by colourful drawings. Each session involves reading a story and participating in specific activities such as drawing, discussing and playing games. The objective of all these activities is to help children explore and understand their feelings and behaviours and learn new ways to react to difficult situations. Zippy’s Friends does not tell children what is right or wrong or how they should react. It encourages children to explore possibilities and think for themselves.

Zippy’s Friends Around the World and Its Evaluation
A pilot program of Zippy’s Friends was first tested in Denmark and, although there were many promising results, a major revision was undertaken. Subsequent pilot testing of the revised program in Denmark and Lithuania found that, when compared to control groups, the children who participated in the program significantly increased their use of positive coping skills and improved their social abilities, as well as engaging in fewer problem behaviours. Another study found that young children who participated in the program experienced a much easier transition from kindergarten to 1st grade. A follow-up study in Lithuaria has shown that improvements are maintained one year later without further intervention.

Zippy’s Friends in Quebec
CRISE is actively involved in promoting Zippy’s Friends in Quebec and in developing evaluation studies on this program. We are looking for schools and School Boards in Quebec who are interested in using this programme and participating in its evaluation of Zippy’s Friends starting in Fall, 2004. We have recently submitted grant requests to evaluate this programme in Quebec.

For further information or if you are interested is using the programme Zippy’s Friends in your school, please contact:
Lorraine Millette, Ph.D. cand.
Coordinator, Promotion and Primary Prevention Programmes
Email: millette.lorraine@courrier.uqam.ca
Telephone: (514)987-3000, #4257.

If you would like to learn more about the the programme and the non-profit organisation which diffuses Zippy’s Friends around the world, Partnership for Children, have a look at their web site;
www.partnershipforchildren.org.uk

Non completed project.
Non published.

Subject 1 : Others
Subject 2 : Coping
Subject 3 : Problem solving
Subject 4 : Child
Subject 5 : Prevention
Subject 6 : School

Update : 6/15/2010