Beaches Resorts Welcomes Walkaround Julia, Sesame Street’s Newest Character, To Jamaica And Turks & Caicos This Fall
Following the landmark television debut of Julia, a new Sesame Street Muppet with autism, Beaches Resorts is proud to announce the walkaround character’s arrival to its resorts in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos beginning this fall. With a new exciting activity in tow, Julia’s debut also continues Beaches Resorts’ partnership with Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and expands the resort company’s exclusive Beaches Resorts Caribbean Adventure with Sesame Street® program, now in its 13th year of partnership.
“We created Beaches Resorts as a concept for everyone and it’s our privilege, particularly during Autism Awareness Month, to announce the addition of Julia this fall as part of our exclusive relationship with Sesame Workshop,” said Adam Stewart, CEO of Beaches Resorts. “As a resort company that also celebrates that children have a remarkable ability to see amazing in all people, we are excited to introduce more inclusive programming for families with children on the spectrum of which Julia will play a part in,” he concluded.
As a proud sponsor of Sesame Street, Beaches Resorts is the only Caribbean resort company to offer engaging activities with a colorful cast of walkaround characters including Elmo, Cookie Monster, Super Grover, Zoe, Bert and Ernie, Abby Cadabby, The Count, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird and, soon, Julia. With an already exciting roster of hands-on activities available at Beaches Resorts, from Baking with Cookie Monster to Story Time with Elmo, Julia will bring forth a new activity, Amazing Art with Julia, just in time for the fall season. In this activity, children will be greeted by Julia a 4-year-old girl character who has autism. Julia, who loves to paint, will highlight how people can express themselves through art. Using a range of materials, children will have the opportunity to explore, experiment and create in this open-ended art activity. Afterwards, children will talk about how they created their piece (colors, lines, shapes, etc.) and how their artwork is a celebration of who they are and their unique self!
“We launched our autism initiative, ‘See Amazing in All Children‘ to promote awareness and acceptance and to combat the stigma and isolation so often experienced by children with autism and their families,” said Steve Youngwood, COO, Sesame Workshop. “Initially a digital character, Julia has come to life on Sesame Street, and now as a walkaround character who is sure to bring joy to children. We’re thrilled to work with our long-time partner, Beaches Resorts, to extend our work around diversity, acceptance, and kindness.”
Sesame Workshop debuted Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children in 2015 to help increase awareness and understanding of autism. Julia, introduced last year in digital form, now comes to life as a Muppet on a special Sesame Street episode. Other Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children resources include digital videos, books, and e-books, available in both English and Spanish. For more information, please visit sesamestreet.org/autism.
As part of Beaches Resorts’ brand-wide efforts to increase awareness of autism, staff underwent initial training with “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children” resources. Complementing these efforts and continuing its commitment to create memorable experiences for all families, Beaches Resorts has partnered with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in training and certification programs, created to meet the training needs of professionals who work with individuals with special needs and cognitive disorders.
Through the partnership, which is ongoing and provides intensive training for team members, each of the resorts’ Kids Camps and its early childcare staff have earned the distinction of Certified Autism Centers, ensuring team members have the requisite knowledge, skills, temperament and expertise to cater to all children. As the first Caribbean resort company to complete the rigorous IBCCES training and certification, Beaches Resorts has demonstrated it provides a safe, fun and comfortable experience for families with children with autism and other special needs so that all families may enjoy the resort company’s award-winning experience.
For more information on the Beaches Resorts Caribbean Adventures with Sesame Street or Beaches Resorts autism-certified kids camps, please visit www.beaches.com/autism-friendly-resorts or call 1-844-360-9380 to speak with the Special Services department.
