Ireland Funds Welcomes Sesame Tree To The North

The Irelands Funds, the international charitable organisation that has raised almost $300 million around the world for worthy causes in Ireland, last week welcomed the news that the new Northern Ireland Sesame Tree series will debut on BBC Northern Ireland on April 5th. As anchor sponsor of the series, the Ireland Funds gifted $1 million to enable the creation of the localized version of the iconic Sesame Street series.

The Sesame Tree series has been produced to help promote tolerance, acceptance and understanding among children in the North. Aligned to the revised Northern Ireland Statutory Curriculum, the television series will present engaging educational messages through stories and characters.

The series, which was produced in Northern Ireland, will be supported by educational outreach materials which will be distributed to preschools to reinforce the show's important messages to children in the region.

As with all of the Sesame Street local adaptations, this programme will address the acute issues facing the region. The programme will encourage a shared society in which people make choices that are not bound by historical divisions. Sesame Workshop will partner with local organisations to help bring the programme 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.

"We are very proud to be the anchor supporter of this historic initiative aimed at bringing new hope to a new generation of children in Northern Ireland. A localised Sesame Street programme for Northern Ireland is hugely significant and will encourage tolerance and understanding in the North. The project empitomizes the Ireland Fund's dedication to providing support to programmes of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development for the island of Ireland. 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. ", said Hugo McNeill, Chairman, Ireland Funds.

Sesame Tree will serve as a catalyst to help children develop the skills to challenge ignorance, dispel stereotypes and champion diversity. The programme 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 dehumanise the "other"
• Helping the early childhood community in Northern Ireland achieve its strategic goals