Posted on Feb 7, 2023
Muppets deployed to help military and Veteran families celebrate everyday triumphs
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Can Elmo and the rest of the “Sesame Street” crew help military and Veteran families cope with the daily difficulties of life in and after service?
That’s part of the thinking behind a series of videos developed for these audiences by Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational entity affiliated with the long-running television program.
Offered in English and Spanish on the Sesame Street in Communities webpage, the videos are digital tools for military and Veteran parents, and their young children, to use as they navigate stress related to frequent moves, the transition to civilian life and social issues such as racism.
In addition to five new videos for military families featuring Elmo and other Muppets — created with support from Amazon Web Services — the page serves up videos on “Veterans and Change” and “Racial Justice Resources for Military Families.”
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to engage and support the military community,” said Dave Levy, vice president of U.S. Government, Nonprofit and Healthcare at AWS, in a statement issued by Sesame Workshop on Jan. 26. “That’s why we’re thrilled to support Sesame Workshop on this new suite of digital resources, which is designed to help military families and their young children build resilience in times of separation and change.”
Tackling bad days, busy dinners and big topics
The military-family spots provide parents with methods for promoting mental health, self-care and household harmony, according to a Jan. 31 Department of Defense news article by Katie Lange.
Sesame Workshop’s senior manager for content design, Tara Wright, told Lange that the resources “can be a nice little reminder that taking care of yourself really does help your family, and it can also be done with your family. It doesn’t have to be apart.”
In “Keep It Simple,” Elmo’s mom, Mae, balances making dinner while tending to a high-strung Elmo, who is getting bored jamming on the guitar by himself. With Dad away (presumably for military service), Elmo’s rock band is short a drummer, and he begs “mommy” to sit in. Mae admits playing drums does sound like fun: “I always have wanted to play drums.” She abandons slicing and dicing dinner ingredients, orders in a pizza and rocks out with Elmo. “Doing things simply can be a way to take care of ourselves and our (military) families,” Mae says.
In the “What Went Well” spot, the character Ricardo, father of Rosita and a service-disabled Veteran, notes how sometimes he has “bad” days. “And that’s when I think about my ‘went wells’,” he says, which are three things that went well that day. He might focus on how delicious the coffee tasted that morning or how he delighted Rosita by planning family game night. “This is just one way that I take care of myself,” Ricardo says.
In a racial justice video called “Explaining Race,” Elmo joins characters Wes and Elijah for a fall outing in the park. Elmo asks why he and Wes have different skin colors. “People who have more melanin have darker skin than people with less melanin,” Elijah explains. As vibrant foliage floats down from the surrounding trees, Elmo sees “leaves that are all different colors” that Wes adds “look really cool together.” “Yes!” Elijah says, “those leaves came from one amazing tree, standing strong.”
Accompanying the online videos are parenting or self-help tips and/or resources to help audiences translate the messages into educational exercises and games.
“Every little moment of self-care can have a big impact,” said Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact. “Sesame Workshop is here with resources and support for our military and caregiving families who give so much of themselves in service to their country.”
Learn more
Visit Sesame Street in Communities: https://sesamestreetincommunities.org
Watch the military, Veteran and racial justice videos: https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/?_ga=2.198 [login to see] [login to see] [login to see] [login to see] 987, https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/veterans-and-changes and https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/subtopics/racial-justice-resources-for-military-families
Read the Sesame Workshop statement: https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/sesame-workshop-debuts-new-resources-support-emotional-well-being
View the DOD news article: https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3283396/sesame-workshop-rolls-out-self-care-content-for-military-families
That’s part of the thinking behind a series of videos developed for these audiences by Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational entity affiliated with the long-running television program.
Offered in English and Spanish on the Sesame Street in Communities webpage, the videos are digital tools for military and Veteran parents, and their young children, to use as they navigate stress related to frequent moves, the transition to civilian life and social issues such as racism.
In addition to five new videos for military families featuring Elmo and other Muppets — created with support from Amazon Web Services — the page serves up videos on “Veterans and Change” and “Racial Justice Resources for Military Families.”
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to engage and support the military community,” said Dave Levy, vice president of U.S. Government, Nonprofit and Healthcare at AWS, in a statement issued by Sesame Workshop on Jan. 26. “That’s why we’re thrilled to support Sesame Workshop on this new suite of digital resources, which is designed to help military families and their young children build resilience in times of separation and change.”
Tackling bad days, busy dinners and big topics
The military-family spots provide parents with methods for promoting mental health, self-care and household harmony, according to a Jan. 31 Department of Defense news article by Katie Lange.
Sesame Workshop’s senior manager for content design, Tara Wright, told Lange that the resources “can be a nice little reminder that taking care of yourself really does help your family, and it can also be done with your family. It doesn’t have to be apart.”
In “Keep It Simple,” Elmo’s mom, Mae, balances making dinner while tending to a high-strung Elmo, who is getting bored jamming on the guitar by himself. With Dad away (presumably for military service), Elmo’s rock band is short a drummer, and he begs “mommy” to sit in. Mae admits playing drums does sound like fun: “I always have wanted to play drums.” She abandons slicing and dicing dinner ingredients, orders in a pizza and rocks out with Elmo. “Doing things simply can be a way to take care of ourselves and our (military) families,” Mae says.
In the “What Went Well” spot, the character Ricardo, father of Rosita and a service-disabled Veteran, notes how sometimes he has “bad” days. “And that’s when I think about my ‘went wells’,” he says, which are three things that went well that day. He might focus on how delicious the coffee tasted that morning or how he delighted Rosita by planning family game night. “This is just one way that I take care of myself,” Ricardo says.
In a racial justice video called “Explaining Race,” Elmo joins characters Wes and Elijah for a fall outing in the park. Elmo asks why he and Wes have different skin colors. “People who have more melanin have darker skin than people with less melanin,” Elijah explains. As vibrant foliage floats down from the surrounding trees, Elmo sees “leaves that are all different colors” that Wes adds “look really cool together.” “Yes!” Elijah says, “those leaves came from one amazing tree, standing strong.”
Accompanying the online videos are parenting or self-help tips and/or resources to help audiences translate the messages into educational exercises and games.
“Every little moment of self-care can have a big impact,” said Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact. “Sesame Workshop is here with resources and support for our military and caregiving families who give so much of themselves in service to their country.”
Learn more
Visit Sesame Street in Communities: https://sesamestreetincommunities.org
Watch the military, Veteran and racial justice videos: https://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/?_ga=2.198 [login to see] [login to see] [login to see] [login to see] 987, https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/veterans-and-changes and https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/subtopics/racial-justice-resources-for-military-families
Read the Sesame Workshop statement: https://www.sesameworkshop.org/press-room/press-releases/sesame-workshop-debuts-new-resources-support-emotional-well-being
View the DOD news article: https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3283396/sesame-workshop-rolls-out-self-care-content-for-military-families
Television
Education
Non-Profits
Military Family
Spanish
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