Published: July 16, 2024 By

Crown Institute Inside Out鈥淗ave you ever thought about what鈥檚 going on inside your head?鈥澛

It鈥檚 no small question 鈥 and the first one school-aged users are asked to contemplate in episode one of InsideU, a web-based app that uses Pixar鈥檚 Inside Out as a platform for social-emotional learning.聽

Over the course of four animated episodes, a character dubbed 鈥渢he Mind Worker鈥 guides kids through real-world scenarios. Characters like Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust offer common language and frameworks to build emotional awareness in children and their caregivers.聽

鈥淚t's a platform for understanding some of our most difficult moments,鈥 said Sam Hubley, an assistant research professor with CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 Ren茅e Crown Wellness Institute, whose vision for InsideU began nearly a decade ago with the release of the movie.聽

Crown Institute Inside OutHubley and his team at the Crown Institute have spent years in partnership with Pixar Animation Studios and the to create an accessible and free experience that is also fun.聽

鈥淲e wanted something that could be used in schools, as well as in less formal settings like after-school programs,鈥 said Hubley. 鈥淚 give this to six-year-olds who've never seen it and, within 10 seconds, they know exactly how to start playing.鈥

According to Marie Olivett, director of mental health programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver, the app has become a vital part of their after-school programming.聽

鈥淭echnology is the language of kids,鈥 said Olivett. 鈥淚nsideU is very experiential and helps them gain control of how they want to make decisions in a way that's really empowering.鈥

Julia Zigarelli, deputy director of the Crown Institute, has seen tremendous results upon implementation.

鈥淚 could see a hundred clients in my office, but we'd never be able to reach this many kids at such a deep level,鈥 said Zigarelli. 鈥淭hat accessibility and reach is really exciting to me. Our hope is that it reaches as many kids as possible.鈥