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Entertainment Education Programs
Arcandina: Beyond Television to Advocacy, Capacity Building, and Community Mobilization
In December 1996, the first national television show to promote awareness of and mobilize support for environmental conservation among children and adolescents premiered in Ecuador. Arcandina ("The Andean Ark"), began broadcasts weekly throughout the country. The broadcasts continued until December 1997. Arcandina used an education through entertainment approach, behavior change strategies, and community mobilization to encourage children to become environmentally responsible citizens. At the end of its first season in December 1997, 40 shows had been produced in Ecuador and aired nationally and internationally. Arcandina Incorporates Population, Health, and Environment Messages In 1998, JHU/PCS and Arcandina developed a set of messages that help children understand the links between population, health, and the environment (PHE). These PHE messages emphasize the interdependence between population, consumption habits, technology, available resources and the environment.
On November 27, 1999, more than two thousand Ecuadorian children gathered at the largest of Quito's theaters and made a commitment to protect the Galapagos Island. They demanded that population growth be slowed so the environment and species of the Galapagos Islands would no longer be harmed. The children's oath was part of the re-launch of the Arcandina children's television show and was sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Education, Galapagos National Park, Charles Darwin Foundation, USAID, and the Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services. The activities during this launching ceremony included appearances by the TV characters that performed in a fifteen-minute show entitled "A Magical Trip to the Enchanted Islands." The children then displayed a giant banner on which they had painted their messages about protecting the Galapagos Islands. This symbol of their commitment and concern will continue to grow as new messages are added to the banner.
In November 1999, the Arcandina TV show started its second season. Sixty new episodes were produced and broadcast daily until March 2000. Each episode showcased the adventures of the Arcandina crew and profiled population-environment links through musical and informational segments. Viewers were also engaged through daily telephone contests based on the segments aired that day. The Arcandina television show is also complemented by activities in schools. A network of primary schools pre-tested a population-environment curriculum that incorporates these themes into all areas of study. Arcandina Impact
Other Exposure to Messages
A pre-post evaluation with control group revealed that students ages 6 to 12 who worked with the Arcandina curriculum in their classrooms for 6 months had improved their knowledge and attitudes related to population and environment. For example:
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The Arcandina Adventure Begins
Arcandina Launches a New Adventure
The Environmental Director of the Metropolitan Quito District
took the opportunity to baptize the Arcandina Ark with
ashes from the Guagua Pichincha volcano. The Ark is a five-meter
long mobile center for environmental education that will support Arcandina activities. Immediately after the launch,
the children were able to sign up for Arcandina memberships
at the Ark and at the new Arcandina headquarters. The
Ark then participated in the Quito Festival parade, which
drew 30,000 spectators along a 10-mile route.
Exposure to TV Show 
Changes in Knowledge and Attitude
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