Sesame Workshop has been creating engaging educational content for children over four decades, but no decade is more important than this one. In support of the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, is working with partners from around the world to help raise awareness and promote safe road practices.
With funding from the FIA Foundation, three animated Sesame Street public service announcements (PSAs) were created and will debut in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East today. The PSAs feature Grover in different scenarios shown buckling up or putting on a helmet, and then giving a thumbs up—the universally used symbol by pilots, astronauts, race-car drivers and other highly-skilled professionals to denote readiness, preparedness, and “all-systems go.” Grover will be wearing the official international road safety symbol—a yellow Road Safety tag to show his support to the road safety cause.
This month, Grover joins world leaders at Road Safety events in the Washington DC, Mexico City, Leipzig and Berlin to launch this long-term commitment to protecting children from accidents and injuries.
In addition to the PSAs, Sesame Workshop and the Global Road Safety Partnership are jointly developing a Road Safety Education Framework intended as a practical guide for Road Safety educators, parents and practitioners who are developing content, educational materials and communication strategies to help children better understand the risks associated with travel on or near the roads.
The objectives of the Sesame Street Road Safety Campaign are:
· To help children understand that vehicles are complex and technical things that need skill, caution and preparation to ride in them and be around them;
· To build in children an “I can” attitude toward this positive mind-set and behavior;
· To empower children to take action in communicating this positive and proactive attitude to their family and friends; and
· To make the safe use of cars and roads a priority and a shared family experience.
“Using the unique lens of Sesame Workshop’s 40-plus years of research-based experience and our partners’ expertise of best practices in road safety education, we hope to make critical changes in how people interact with the road,” said Gary E. Knell, Sesame Workshop President and CEO. “Today kicks off an important coordinated effort among global organizations to mobilize and reach families to promote safety awareness among all road users.”
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
