Participant Media, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched a new multi-platform series, TakePart World, which investigates the myths and misconceptions people across the globe have about the developing world. The year-long series spotlights the faces and voices of those driving progress towards a sustainable future for the world’s poorest.
The 10 dedicated TakePart World episodes will focus on pertinent themes and welcome guests who are trying to drive development in the areas of innovation and technology, agriculture and nutrition, health, disaster relief, and economic development. The shows will be featured monthly on TakePart Live, Pivot’s nightly news program. In addition to these monthly episodes, TakePart Live will regularly spotlight key individuals and debut short documentaries filmed on location in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya for special TakePart World segments.
The first of the 10 features premiered on July 24th and focused on the issue of foreign aid, discussing benefits and problems associated with religious-based aid and other types of “help” from the west. Addressing the question “does helping help?”, guests included Roger Ross-Williams, director of the film God Loves Uganda, and Reverend Canon Albert Ogle.
“TakePart World challenges long-standing misconceptions that the problems faced in the developing world are insurmountable. Through the series we’re proud to give a broader platform to the incredible people effecting change, and to help their work go further,” said Belisa Balaban, EVP Original Programming at Pivot.
“TakePart World explores what’s working, and offers ways to get involved and become a part of impactful solutions,” added Karina Kogan, EVP of TakePart.com.
In addition to the monthly episodes, TakePart has provided viewers with a range of additional content on their online resource such as in-depth articles, individual profiles of people making significant changes across the developing world, and discussion of potential solutions to major challenges, such as global poverty.
TakePart World community members not only have the opportunity to view editorial content, but can also engage in the issues the series highlights through their Take Action Platform, allowing users to share stories, sign petitions and take pledges on the topics they wish to support.
TakePart World is teaming up with several NGOs, including Global Citizen, to promote petitions combating extreme poverty, and to collaborate on reporting. And Mashable will distribute select TakePart World content to its digital audiences.
TakePart, a digital network from Participant Media, aims to engage the public in relevant issues through its films, social action campaigns, digital and television network. Participant Media aims to promote social change through digital media, producing films such as An Inconvenient Truth, Food Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’ and The Help. The entertainment company’s latest campaign on sustainability issues is Recycle Right!, a collaboration with Recycle Across America® (RAA) which focuses on transforming recycling and improving the economics and prevalence of sustainable packaging and manufacturing.