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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| MacArthur Grant Will Create ‘Sesame Street’ for Syrian Refugees | MacArthur Grant Will Create ‘Sesame Street’ for Syrian Refugees |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| The Muppets are taking the Middle East. | The Muppets are taking the Middle East. |
| The MacArthur Foundation said Wednesday that it was awarding $100 million to Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee to create early childhood development programs for Syrian refugees. It will focus on displaced children in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, seeking to reach them at a key time for brain development. | The MacArthur Foundation said Wednesday that it was awarding $100 million to Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee to create early childhood development programs for Syrian refugees. It will focus on displaced children in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, seeking to reach them at a key time for brain development. |
| “If we’re not giving them the tools to overcome toxic stress, that trauma in those early years, the research shows the repercussions are lifelong,” Sherrie Westin, Sesame’s executive vice president for global impact, said in an interview on Thursday. | “If we’re not giving them the tools to overcome toxic stress, that trauma in those early years, the research shows the repercussions are lifelong,” Sherrie Westin, Sesame’s executive vice president for global impact, said in an interview on Thursday. |
| The five-year grant will fund a localized version of “Sesame Street,” distributed through television and digital devices, and home visits using “Sesame Street” content for an estimated 1.5 million children. Instead of the stars that Americans grew up with, like Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, the characters would be tailored to the region, speaking Arabic and Iraqi Kurdish. | The five-year grant will fund a localized version of “Sesame Street,” distributed through television and digital devices, and home visits using “Sesame Street” content for an estimated 1.5 million children. Instead of the stars that Americans grew up with, like Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, the characters would be tailored to the region, speaking Arabic and Iraqi Kurdish. |
| Sesame Workshop expects to reach 9.4 million children, teaching them language, reading, math and social skills. The company said the Muppets would “model inclusion and respect, and gender equity, and they will provide engaging educational messages, always from a child’s perspective.” | Sesame Workshop expects to reach 9.4 million children, teaching them language, reading, math and social skills. The company said the Muppets would “model inclusion and respect, and gender equity, and they will provide engaging educational messages, always from a child’s perspective.” |
| Ms. Westin said having characters that children can relate to makes the children more receptive to the lessons. | Ms. Westin said having characters that children can relate to makes the children more receptive to the lessons. |
| “You could envision a Muppet with a story line where they have to leave their home, or lives in a tent, or becomes best friends with a neighbor,” she said. | “You could envision a Muppet with a story line where they have to leave their home, or lives in a tent, or becomes best friends with a neighbor,” she said. |
| Though billions of dollars are spent on refugee aid each year, just 2 percent goes toward education, and just a sliver of that goes toward early-childhood intervention, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, said in an interview on Thursday. Money tends to flow toward immediate needs like food and medical supplies, leaving education behind. | Though billions of dollars are spent on refugee aid each year, just 2 percent goes toward education, and just a sliver of that goes toward early-childhood intervention, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, said in an interview on Thursday. Money tends to flow toward immediate needs like food and medical supplies, leaving education behind. |
| But refugees are often displaced for years at a time, making education an overlooked need, he said. | But refugees are often displaced for years at a time, making education an overlooked need, he said. |
| If the program is successful, the organizations would hope to adapt it for other refugee crises, Mr. Miliband said. While the grant would create the first “Sesame Street” expansion to be focused on refugees, Sesame Workshop has created local versions in places like India, Afghanistan and South Africa. | If the program is successful, the organizations would hope to adapt it for other refugee crises, Mr. Miliband said. While the grant would create the first “Sesame Street” expansion to be focused on refugees, Sesame Workshop has created local versions in places like India, Afghanistan and South Africa. |
| “We’re determined to create a proven model of early-childhood intervention that can then be used for refugees around the world,” he said. | “We’re determined to create a proven model of early-childhood intervention that can then be used for refugees around the world,” he said. |
| Sesame Workshop also broadcasts “Iftah Ya Simsim,” which translates as “Open Sesame,” in the Persian Gulf, and has worked in Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian territories, Israel and Turkey. |