| | Panwapa (2008) New York, New York.- Elmo, Big Bird and Oscar are world-renowned, but it's their new counterparts, "Azibo," "Athena," and "Baabra" who are the focus of a new worldwide initiative. Children today are growing up in an increasingly interconnected world full of opportunities and challenges that require them to develop new skills and perspectives. To meet this need, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and The Merrill Lynch Foundation have created a Worldwide Kids initiative called Panwapa launching today. Panwapa, which means "here on this earth" in the Tshiluba language, aims to foster the foundation for global citizenship and community activism in young children, ages 4 to 7. Featuring an entirely new group of Muppet characters, Panwapa consists of an interactive website, www.panwapa.com, a DVD, and print materials that are available in five languages to children around the world—Arabic, English, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish. "With offices in 36 countries, Merrill Lynch understands the need for global awareness and is committed to providing children the tools to be effective participants in an increasingly global economy," said Stan O'Neal, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President, Merrill Lynch. "We partnered with Sesame Workshop because no one captures children's hearts and minds as memorably as the furry friends at Sesame Street. Our 60,300 employees around the world are eager to bring the Panwapa content alive by volunteering at preschools, community centers and child care centers in their communities." "Sesame Workshop has provided children with tools they need to reach their highest potential for over 37 years utilizing all forms of media," said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, Sesame Workshop. "Panwapa is a groundbreaking program that will help children to develop an understanding of their culture, an appreciation for differences and similarities of others, and a passion for the people, issues and ideas that help to shape our world." A team of international cultural experts, early childhood researchers, educators and media specialists from nine countries and organizations such as Oxfam, UNICEF, and the World Bank first came up with the idea for Panwapa in 2005. Multi-national teams from Merrill Lynch and Sesame Workshop worked with the advisors to develop content for the program, focusing on messages of global citizenship for young children.
|
|
