Title: UN and Thomas & Friends: All Aboard for Global Goals collaboration launch
Date: 7 September 2018
Venue: United Nations Headquarters, New York
Speakers:
Richard Dickson, President and COO, Mattel, Inc.
Pamela S. Falk, UN Correspondent for CBS News
Tolulope Lewis-Tamoka, Programme Advisor for Africa, UN Women
Ian McCue, Senior Producer of Thomas & Friends, Mattel, Inc.
Maher Nasser, Director of Outreach Division, UN Department of Global Communications
Olivia Wilde, Actress, Filmmaker, Activist and Mother
Event Summary:
To coincide with the release of the new Thomas & Friends season with episodes inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals on Nick Jr. in the United States, CCOI hosted a media event (press briefing and exclusive roundtable) at UN Headquarters to launch the All Aboard for Global Goals collaboration with Mattel.
The exclusive roundtable featured prominent speakers, including actress Olivia Wilde. It really hit home for me because of the focus on early childhood education. I realize how important it is to shape and direct kids' storytelling from the earliest age. I love watching these episodes: they're purposeful, and something that benefits my kids' psyches, helping build a foundation in them to help them handle the world, said the actress.
The Sustainable Development Goals proved to be the perfect tool for Thomas & Friends to teach children the importance of taking part in the global efforts to end poverty, providing girls and boys with the same opportunities, and of course doing so while protecting our planet, said Maher Nasser from the UN, who has led the collaboration with Mattel on this project.
Approximately 100 journalists and digital influencers participated in the roundtable. The launch was also promoted widely with the hashtag #AllAboardForGlobalGoals across digital platforms owned by the UN, Mattel and influencers.
CCOI's Role:
CCOI organized a series of writers' workshops that began in January 2017, during which subject matter experts from across the UN system briefed Thomas & Friends' creative team on the Sustainable Development Goals and a variety of priority UN issues. CCOI has since worked closely with the producers to develop and finetune the entertainment and educational SDG content tailored to preschoolers. The collaboration is ongoing. More information: www.allaboardforglobalgoals.com
Related UN Issues:
Sustainable Development Goals - #4 Quality Education, #5 Gender Equality, #6 Clean Water and Sanitation, #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, #12 Responsible Production and Consumption, and #15 Life on Land
Photos:
News Coverage:
Press briefing: Thomas & Friends promoting the SDGs
[People] Olivia Wilde: 'I Continue to Remind My Kids They've Won the Life Lottery'