WORLD HEART FEDERATION AND SESAME WORKSHOP TEAM UP, ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS
WORLD HEART FEDERATION AND SESAME WORKSHOP TEAM UP, ENCOURAGING CHILDREN TO PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS
2-6 September 2006, World Congress of Cardiology, Barcelona – When the new season of the popular television series Plaza Sésamo premiers in October, it will have something special for its young viewers:
Colombia-produced film segments encouraging them to adopt healthy habits that that would enable them to live healthier, happier and longer lives.
The film segments will be the fruit of a new three-year partnership between the World Heart Federation and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Plaza Sésamo for Spanish speakers in the Americas, as well the English-language Sesame Street and more than 30 additional adaptations, airing in more than 120 countries.
“Obese or overweight children tend to grow up to become obese or overweight adults,” said World Heart Federation Chief Executive Officer Janet Voûte. “The partnership with Sesame Workshop gives us a chance to reach children, and their families, with beneficial messages about diet and physical activity that they could retain and employ for their entire lives to forestall cardiovascular disease in adulthood.”
“Sesame Workshop strives to reach children around the world by presenting them with educational and
engaging content to help them achieve their highest potential,” said Dan Victor, Sesame Workshop’s executive vice president, international. “Our partnership with the World Heart Federation allows us to further this vital mission by placing a special and urgent emphasis on children’s health.”
Studies show that the roots of cardiovascular disease in adults can extend deep into early childhood, with childhood obesity or overweight – an increasingly common phenomenon in countries like Colombia – being a key predictor of future illness. The partnership seeks to harness the tremendous popularity of the television programme to model easy ways for children to lead better and more productive lives.
The films will show children engaging in all kinds of fun and heart healthy activities including home vegetable gardening, eating a nutritious breakfast, choosing nutritious fruits and vegetables at an outdoor market. Five film segments will be shown during each year of the three years. In addition, the World Heart Federation and Plaza Sésamo will spread their healthy messages through vibrant print materials that will available to caregivers and children in classrooms, clinics and community centers.
Although Plaza Sésamo has been a staple in Colombia for decades, most of the programme’s cultural
references are from Mexico and the United States. Beginning in October, as part of an effort to showcase the rich cultural diversity of Latin America, new live action films produced in Colombia will offer a window on another country. Health-related messages in a Colombian context will be on strong display – and not just for Colombians but for Spanish-speakers throughout the Americas.
Complementing its work with Sesame Workshop, the World Heart Federation also seeks to create a regional youth health network for Latin America through its sponsorship of the first Global Youth Meeting on Health to be held 14 to 19 November in New Delhi, India, and its plans to sponsor youth delegates and adult chaperons from Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay.
In India, youth delegates from 40 countries will gather to learn about such topics as nutrition, physical activity, avoidance of tobacco and other addictive substances and stress management. The expectation is that the youths would return to their home countries to become advocates for health awareness.
Each of the delegations from the four Latin American countries will comprise four youths and the adult
chaperon. Upon their return, the four delegations will work collaboratively to establish a regional health
promotion network for all Latin America.
The World Heart Federation’s partnership with Sesame Workshop and its sponsorship of the Global Youth Meeting on Health are made possible through the generosity of philanthropists Julio Mario and Beatrice Santo Domingo.
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About the World Heart Federation
The World Heart Federation, a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, is committed to helping the global population achieve a longer and better life through prevention and control of heart disease and stroke, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries. It is comprised of 189 member societies of cardiology and heart foundations from over 100 countries covering the regions of Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas and Africa.
For further information visit: www.worldheart.org
Press contact:
Victoria Dix on Tel: +41 79 707 7592 or E-mail:
victoria_dix(at)ch.cohnwolfe.com
For more information about the World Heart Federation’s partnership with Sesame Workshop visit:
http://www.world-heart-federation.org/?id=175. Or visit Cohn & Wolfe’s newsroom at
http://www.cwnewsroom.ch/
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of
children around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Sagwa, and Pinky products back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at www.sesameworkshop.org.
Plaza Sésamo airs on Latin American pay-TV children’s network Discovery Kids, Mexico’s largest terrestrial producer and broadcaster Televisa Niños and US broadcaster TeleFutura. HIP TV, a division of Los Angelesbased HIP Entertainment Group, are the production supervisors.
Press contact:
Lauren Ostrow, Sesame Workshop
Tel.: +1 212 875 6540 or E-mail lauren.ostrow(at)sesameworkshop.org