Sesame Workshop

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children worldwide by addressing their critical developmental needs. Sesame Workshop develops innovative and engaging educational content for television (such as the famous Sesame Street programme), radio, books, magazines, interactive media and community outreach. Taking advantage of all forms of media, the Workshop reaches millions of children, parents, caregivers and educators. The Workshop is committed to the principle that all children deserve a chance to learn and grow and reach their highest potential.

Sesame Workshop is now the largest informal educator of young children in the world. In 22 countries, the Workshop has developed local versions of the world famous Sesame Street television show with culturally and socially relevant content. The impact of these programmes has been enormous, with most notable changes occurring with respect to knowledge of hygiene practices and knowledge of vaccinations.

Sesame Workshop has years of expertise in applying media interventions to tough issues affecting children. The South Africa production, Takalani Sesame, attempts to contribute to educational goals of humanizing and de-stigmatizing people with HIV/AIDS; in Egypt, Alam Simsim, addresses the country’s critical need to bolster girls’ education; in Russia, Ulitsa Sezam, fosters openness of thought, building on the traditions of Russian humor and folklore. In the last few years, the Workshop has also begun to work in areas plagued by ethnic and religious strife such as Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan and Kosovo.

World Heart Federation partnership with Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop has developed a new international initiative called “Healthy Habits for Life”, a comprehensive effort to help young children and their parents live healthier lives.

It utilizes a coalition of partners with health, nutrition, fitness and education expertise to develop and distribute multi-media content targeted to young children and their caregivers, empowering them with knowledge and positive attitudes about their bodies in order to grow healthy and strong. It will include community outreach materials to teach lessons such as the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles.

The World Heart Federation is proud to partner with Sesame Workshop on the “Healthy Habits for Life” initiative. The two organizations have entered into a joint three-year initiative in Colombia, where they will create local content for the Latin American version of Sesame Street, known as Plaza Sésamo, as a way of promoting messages on healthy living.

To read more about the Sesame Workshop/WHF partnership, please visit our section on the Colombia Model Youth Programme.