BBC, Sky & More On Board Hope Works Project

Kids’ broadcasters and media companies from around the globe, including Sky UK and BBC Children’s, have teamed up for Hope Works, a collection of inspirational short films.

Hope Works will launch simultaneously across kids’ networks worldwide, as well as on a dedicated YouTube channel, on November 20, which is World Children’s Day. UNICEF is also a partner on the project, which consists of 12 inspiring short films meant for young viewers between the ages of 5 and 12.

Titles include What Shall We Do with the Angry Monster? (Ragdoll Productions, Disney EMEA); Give a Hand (Hop! Media Group, Israel); The Nock and the Treeples (DreamWorks Animation, U.S.); Spread Kindness Around the World (Sesame Workshop, U.S.); Balloon Girl (Big Bad Boo, Canada); and Move Mountain (The Brothers McLeod and Corrinne Averiss, U.K.).

There is also Rise (Sixteen South, N. Ireland, and KiKA, Germany); Children United (Sky/Fresh Start Media and UNICEF, U.K.); Little Lights (CBC, Canada); A Whale’s Tale (Turner’s Cartoon Network UK); The Cupcake Choir (ABC Children’s, Australia); and Listening to the Silence (TV Escola, Brazil).

Lucy Murphy, the head of kids’ content for the U.K. and ROI at Sky, commented: “When we first came up with the idea of a project that would get to as many children around the world as possible, we never dreamed that so many giants of kids’ entertainment would collaborate with us, along with invaluable support from incredible individuals. With kids’ anxiety levels rocketing in response to what they are seeing, hearing and witnessing, it’s vital that we reassure them that there is kindness, tolerance and hope in the world.”

Alison Stewart, children’s media consultant and producer, added: “It’s taken two years to bring Hope Works to fruition, and we are so grateful for the amazing support we’ve had from our partners around the world. They have created a set of films that offer reassurance to children at a time when good news seems in short supply. Children are innately hopeful, and our project aims to inspire them to make a difference, no matter how small, to the world they will inherit.”