TAKALANI SESAME’S “TALK TO ME…” RECEIVES PEABODY AND ADDITIONAL HONORS FOR ENCOURAGING COMMUNICATION ABOUT HIV AND AIDS
New York, NY, April 13, 2005
Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, is celebrating recognition from three prestigious media organizations for its South African national call-to-action campaign Takalani Sesame Presents “talk to me.” The initiative was recently honored with a Gold Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival and will receive a George Foster Peabody Award and a Gold Intermedia-globe from the World Media Festival next month.
“We are extremely proud that ‘talk to me…’ is helping open the lines of communication about HIV and AIDS between parents, caregivers and children,” said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO. “It is an honor to be recognized by our peers in the industry for this campaign which is making a positive impact on the lives of South Africans.”
“talk to me…” received the Gold Hugo in the Educational: Adult Audience category at the Hugo Awards ceremony that took place on Thursday, March 31. The awards honor internationally acclaimed television productions and commercials that have made significant contributions to the art.
The oldest honor in electronic media, the Peabody Award, recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. “talk to me…” is one of 32 international programs that were chosen this year and will be honored at a ceremony on May 16 in New York City. The Peabody Awards are administered by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
The World Media Festival, an initiative by Intermedia, is a global modern media competition. “talk to me…”will be honored with the Gold award in the Public Relations: Education category at a ceremony in Hamburg on May 11. As a recipient of a Gold Award, the campaign is now eligible for the competition’s Grand Award, which will be announced at the ceremony.
“talk to me…” is a multimedia campaign, launched in November 2004, promoting communication between adults and children on the crucial subject of HIV and AIDS. The campaign stresses the importance of parents talking to their children about HIV and AIDS to increase awareness, how to protect themselves, and find support in facing this epidemic and its consequences.
The campaign’s culmination was a one-hour television special which aired on December 1, 2004, World AIDS Day, on SABC2. The program features three families: Bev, a 38-year-old HIV-positive mother of five from Durban; Tsietsi, a 17-year-old who is the head of her family; and Kelina, a mother of four children from Soweto. They all have one thing in common – they need to have a conversation.
Leading up to the special, a series of radio programs were broadcast in five languages, containing real conversations, aiming to provide a practical guide to caregivers by portraying the courage, hope and struggles of South African families coping with the epidemic. The programs were followed by a radio call-in series “Conversations With My Child” on SAFM. Newspaper educational supplements and national advertising also supported the campaign as well as a “talk to me…” booklet, providing practical advice on how to start a conversation about HIV and AIDS with children of different ages. An AIDS Helpline also provided advice on how to talk to children about the epidemic.
Takalani Sesame, the South African adaptation of Sesame Street, partners supporting the “talk to me…” campaign include the nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop, SABC Education, the Department of Education, and the Government’s Khomanani Campaign. Funding was provided through the generous support of U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID) and Sanlam, Takalani Sesame’s corporate sponsor.
Since its debut in 2000, Takalani Sesame has introduced preschoolers and their families to programming with a focus on basic education and life skills.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives 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 and Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat and ground breaking 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 and Sagwa products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at www.sesameworkshop.org.
Contact
Jodi Lefkowitz
(212)875-6497
jodi.lefkowitz@sesameworkshop.org
