David Mc Guinness, Ireland

Sesame Street International helps to promote and educate people on important national, regional and global issues. Their main aim and outcome is to create an educational impact on the younger generation.

During their presentation at the conference, this was evident from the video recordings of children from all over the world who were actively engaged in their shows, characters and its teachings. The young people were all gathered together, screaming, shouting and laughing at the television program.

Sesame Street International has proven that regular viewers of its long-running shows benefit in numeracy, literacy techniques and accuracy. They incorporate strong messages into their shows in a way that the viewers can easily understand and learn from. Recent studies and adaptation of HIV/AIDS messages throughout their shows are proving effective and beneficial for both young viewers and their parents.

Sesame Street International works toward having a cultural impact and being able to relate to and work with people that grow up in completely different cultures. Their international team is always trying their best to accomplish their goals. They have, however, come across many hurdles along the way.

In Bangladesh, for instance, it often proves difficult to broadcast their show because of limited power supply and limited access to television sets. But tackling such problems is all part of a rewarding process for the team. They have found a simple solution of getting a weekly rickshaw to carry a television set for the children to experience the joy of viewing the show.

The international show promotes social relationships among people of all nationalities, ethnicities and backgrounds. It helps children to progress with persistence and to form sustainable friendships with their family members.

A newly developed project from the international team, which is due to be released this  September, is called “Panwapa.” Panwapa and the Merrill Lynch Foundation are giving children the essential awareness of their backgrounds, cultures and global citizenship. The project will provide the information and resources needed for children to be aware of the wider world. To appreciate similarities over differences among people is what Panwapa is all about. The project includes a variety of programs and print media for children, devised and made in a way that the children will easily understand and practice.

Sesame Street International puts children in the center because, after all, children hold the future in connecting people together and breaking boundaries of all kinds. By combining learning and fun, Sesame Street International has hit the right spot, which is often the most difficult thing to accomplish.