Sesame & MetLife Bring Financial Empowerment Campaign to Japan

TOKYO: Sesame Workshop and MetLife Foundation have launched in Japan the multimedia initiative Dream, Save, Do: Financial Empowerment for Families, featuring the Sesame Street muppets.

The program will be implemented through Japan’s local school network and is intended to help children and adults adopt healthy financial skills and behaviors. In addition to the Sesame Street muppets, the program will feature language for financial discussion and effective strategies for spending, saving, sharing and donating.

Families will be exposed to a range of multimedia content, including interactive games and activity sheets featuring the Sesame Street characters, through digital media, community outreach, local events and seminars.

In November 2013, MetLife Foundation announced a five-year $20 million commitment to Sesame Workshop to address financial empowerment among families with young children throughout the world. The Dream, Save, Do program was launched in China, India, Brazil and Mexico in 2015. More countries will be included in 2016 and beyond.

“Like any other form of education, the key to this initiative’s success is to start with young children,” said Jeffrey D. Dunn, the president and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “Building a strong foundation in a person’s youngest years is the best way to establish positive lifelong habits. With Dream, Save, Do, we are helping kids learn lessons with trusted friends like Elmo and Cookie Monster and incorporating financial empowerment-related activities into daily routines while facilitating important conversations between children and adults.”

Sachin N. Shah, representative statutory executive officer, chairman and president of MetLife Japan, said, “We are proud of our global partnership with Sesame Workshop and we remain dedicated to advancing financial inclusion around the world. MetLife Japan and MetLife Foundation are committed to ensuring that families and people of all ages have access to the knowledge they need to put them on the path to financial security. We see our partnership with Sesame as a powerful way to advance our vision for financial inclusion worldwide, and to help more families prepare for a brighter, more secure future.”