THE AMERICAN IRELAND FUND TEAMS WITH SESAME WORKSHOP TO BRING THE MAGIC OF SESAME STREET TO NORTHERN IRELAND

  Send any photo as an ecard to your friends! 

$1 Million Gift Enables Creation of Localized Programming To Promote Tolerance, Acceptance and Understanding Among Children

NEW YORK – May 4, 2006 -- The American Ireland Fund has forged a historic partnership with Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization responsible for Sesame Street.

Sesame Street Northern Ireland >

This will bring an adaptation of the iconic television program to Northern Ireland as a means of promoting the values of tolerance, acceptance and understanding among children. The partnership will be formally announced this evening at the AIF’s 31st Annual New York Dinner Gala at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, which will be attended by more than 1,300 guests and has raised a record $4.1 million for deserving projects in Ireland.

Working in partnership with Sesame Workshop, the AIF has pledged significant financial support to enable the creation of a localized version of Sesame Street programming which is slated to begin airing in early 2007. The initiative will consist of 26 episodes to broadcast over an 18-month period that promote the values of respect, tolerance and understanding. Elements of the shows will be created in Northern Ireland. In addition to the series, an educational outreach initiative will also be developed for use in schools to reinforce the show’s important messages to children in the region.

“We are proud to be a prime supporter of this historic initiative aimed at bringing values of tolerance and understanding to the children of Northern Ireland,” said Kieran McLoughlin, Vice President of the AIF. “All children deserve a chance to learn and grow, to understand the world and each other. Shockingly, research has revealed that Northern Ireland children as young as three years old have begun developing sectarian beliefs. The need to counteract this was the impetus for our commitment to this initiative.”

Bob McCann
Commenting on the initiative, Bob McCann, Executive Vice President of Merrill Lynch & Co. and dinner honoree, said, “As a strong supporter of the AIF for many years, I am especially gratified that we are able to help the youth of Northern Ireland through the much-anticipated launch of Sesame Street there."

Joan Ganz Cooney, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Sesame Workshop, said, “We are so pleased with this commitment from the American Ireland Fund which will enable this worthwhile program to move forward. All of us at Sesame Workshop are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the children of Northern Ireland a program that will encourage mutual respect, understanding and appreciation within their community, which we hope will resonate for many years to come.”

The series will encourage children to develop the skills to challenge ignorance, dispel stereotypes and champion diversity. The program will also serve as a valuable resource for children, parents and educators by:
• Contributing to a “Shared Future” in Northern Ireland.

• Presenting to children positive images of themselves and others.

• Imparting the values of mutual respect, understanding and the appreciation of diversity to counter negative stereotypes that attempt to dehumanize the “other.”

• Helping the early childhood community in Northern Ireland achieve its strategic goals.

As with all of the Workshop’s local adaptations, this program will truly reflect the issues of the region. The program will encourage a shared society in which people make choices that are not bound by historical divisions and where there is respect and tolerance for cultural diversity. Sesame Workshop will partner with local organizations to help bring the program to the youngest audience and develop an education plan focused on topics related to diversity and acceptance: racism, sectarianism, gender, and respecting people with disabilities.

Senior executives from Sesame Workshop traveled to Northern Ireland to meet with representatives of the public and private sectors, including broadcasters, government ministries, and educational organizations to bring this project to fruition. A broadcast partner is expected to be finalized shortly. This project follows on the success of several other Sesame Street initiatives designed to bring educational values to children in over 25 countries around the world including Israel, Palestine, Kosovo and South Africa.

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.

For further information:
AIF: Paul Keary or Evan Goetz, Financial Dynamics, 212-850-5600
Sesame Workshop: Ellen Lewis, 212-875-6396