La Calle Sesame

I wonder if Sesame Street can bridge environmental problems...???  Four points extra credit towards blog if you attend and submit a one-page summary on the blog.

We all grew up with Ernie, Bert, Grover and the Cookie Monster. But did you know that Sesame Street has now grown to be  “the world’s longest street”, working internationally to help children reach their highest potential?

In Kosovo, for example, Sesame’s producers recognized that it’s far from simple to create a children’s television show in a post-conflict region where people still feel the tension of recent violence. But that’s exactly what they did in 2004, working in partnership with UNICEF.  The result - aired in Albanian with the title “Rruga Sesam” and in Serbian as “Ulica Sezam” – has become a powerful tool in healing rifts between the Kosovo-Albanian and Kosovo-Serb peoples as they move toward reconciliation.

This local approach has been repeated with similar success throughout the world, in places like Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and South Africa.

You now have a unique opportunity to hear first hand how this process works to build bridges of peace around the world.
Gary Knell, the dynamic and highly acclaimed CEO of Sesame Workshop, will be speaking at Abravanel Hall next Wednesday evening, March 31, 2010 (7pm).  His film clips and stories are fascinating. The International Children’s Choir – always a crowd pleaser - will join him on the stage.
Note that as College of Humanities faculty and staff, you can purchase tickets at the student rate (only ten bucks). Tickets are available through Art Tix:

 http://www.arttix.org/tickets/production.aspx?performanceNumber=4931

There are lots of demands on your attention and time – but we encourage you not to miss this unique evening. In addition to attending in a fascinating and fun event, you will also be helping to support the Community Scholarships for Diversity Fund.