Sesame Street Considering Bringing Elmo and Co. To Refugee Kids

Sesame Street has always been about inclusivity and kindness, but doesn’t it seem like they’re really doubling down lately?

First it was their new autistic character who made a massive amount of headlines last March and now it’s a program in the works specifically for refugee kids. Out of the 65 million people displaced around the world, about half are children.

According to NPR, Sesame Street and the International Rescue Committee are chatting with relief organizations, trauma experts, academics, and more to make sure that anything they put out for refugee children is done just right. (That tracks, too. During an appearance on The View a few weeks ago, Vice President of Global Impact and Philanthropy Sherrie Westin showed just how much research went into getting the first autistic character right.)

The content will be available on a variety of platforms and is designed to “bolster children’s resiliency” while working on more standard Sesame Street skills like math and reading as well as emotional intelligence.

Next week, something like a focus group will take place when a team from Sesame Workshop heads to Amman, Jordan. There, kids and families will give feedback on existing Sesame Street content and the team will work on adapting it specifically for refugee kids.

As NPR points out, the Arabic version of Grover, called Gargur, will be in attendance, too.

[image: screengrab]

Lindsey: Twitter. Facebook.

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