Barbie® and The TechnoGirl Trust Work Towards Closing The Dream Gap in South Africa

Hi Guys, 

From a young age, many girls begin to develop limiting self-beliefs. New research indicates the challenges that young girls face don’t lie in their lack of self-confidence or drive; rather the gaps often occur in the world around them. This is the year that Barbie, in collaboration with The TechnoGirl Trust, will work towards closing the gap between South African girls and their dreams, especially those aspiring to become the next generation of engineers, technologists and scientists.

Focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers, and industries that have predominantly been male-dominated, this partnership will empower girls by entering them into job shadowing opportunities. The objective of this initiative is to provide access for girls to experience the world of work in a professional environment and therefore to develop insight, aspiration, as well as life skills, to better equip their career decision-making.

Barbie, as the original girl and women empowerment brand, has kicked off this year’s Dream Gap project in South Africa, offering participants the resources and support they need to continue to believe that they can be anything. The local partnership with The TechnoGirl Trust aligns with their mission of investing in youth development through ongoing and holistic support. By collaborating with partners to empower women and girls, to better equip them for entry into Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics career fields, Barbie and The TechnoGirl Trust are entering into a long-term partnership which will unfold over the next few years, to change the lives of girl children in South Africa for the better.

“Progress has been made toward gender equality, however, stereotypes and societal biases still exist that can affect a girl’s trajectory and future choices. The Barbie Dream Gap Project, which was started in 2019, is a global mission dedicated to closing the gap by challenging gender stereotypes and helping undo the biases that hold girls back from reaching their full potential,” Says Terusha Naidoo, Barbie Marketing Manager for South Africa.

According to the WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2022, less than 13% of women choose STEM careers. “Our job shadowing programme has been designed on the understanding that exposure to the public and private sector workplaces can significantly contribute towards motivating girls to take up STEM careers that are in demand and where women are under-represented,” says Ms Staff Sithole, chief executive at TechnoGirl Trust.

“Since 2005, TechnoGirl, through our job shadowing programme, has enabled girls to experience STEM careers and ultimately, make informed career choices. In collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Department of Basic Education, to date, TechnoGirl has seen over 26 000 girls go through the structured programme and, on average, 75% of the beneficiaries advance to register for STEM careers,,” adds Sithole.

As efforts by the TechnoGirl Trust have begun to identify girls for the Dream Gap Project in South Africa, the first intake will happen in March 2024, when the first cohort of Grade 9 girls will start their journey in the TechnoGirl job shadowing programme. TechnoGirl Trust will work closely with the Department of Basic Education Districts and Schools, host companies, and Barbie while implementing the established and structured programme set out by them. Girls will experience the impactful, life-changing benefits of the programme, across the 4 years that they are part of it.

About TechnoGirl Trust

TechnoGirl is an innovative programme for girls and young women who show an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Conceptualised in 2004 by founding partner Uweso Consulting in collaboration with UNICEF and the Department of Basic Education. The strategic imperative of the TechnoGirl Programme is to narrow the discrepancy in opportunities that still exist between men and women and impede social and economic transformation.

TechnoGirl enables girls to experience STEM careers and ultimately, make informed career choices. To date, over 26000 girls have gone through the structured programme and, on average, 75% of the beneficiaries advance to register STEM careers. The programme is premised on the understanding that exposure to the public and private sector workplaces can significantly contribute towards motivating girls to take up STEM careers that are in demand and where women are under-represented.

We endeavour to share the transformation burden with corporates, by collaborating with them to produce girls who are better equipped for entry into STEM careers. This will lead to sustained employment opportunities and, in so doing, the cycle of poverty for girls participating in the programme can be broken.

Aum Namah Shivay!

Till next time...Aashish
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Playing with @Barbie Dolls Allows Children To Develop #Empathy & #SocialProcessing Skills

Hi Friends, 

Barbie® and neuroscientists from Cardiff University have collaborated on a new study which for the first time uses neuroimaging as evidence to explore the effects of doll play 

• Evidence shows that doll play activates brain regions which are associated with social information processing and empathy, indicating that doll play enables children to rehearse, use and perform these skills even when playing on their own 
• Other findings show that doll play allows children to develop empathy and social processing skills more so than solo tablet play, even when playing by themselves 
• To understand the relevancy of the study, Barbie independently commissioned a global survey in 22 different countries questioning 15,000 parents which showed 91 percent of parents rank empathy as a key social skill they would like their child to develop, but only 26 percent were aware that doll play could help their child develop these skills 
• Today Barbie launches an online hub featuring resources for parents, caregivers, and children, to support them in their social processing skills which has been developed alongside leading empathy expert, writer, and educational psychologist, Dr. Michele Borba 

Barbie®, and a team of neuroscientists from Cardiff University, announces findings of a new study conducted using neuroscience for the first time to explore the positive impact doll play has on children, bringing to light new evidence that doll play activates brain regions that allow children to develop empathy and social information processing skills, even when playing by themselves. 

Over the past 18 months, senior lecturer Dr. Sarah Gerson and colleagues at Cardiff University’s Centre for Human Developmental Science have used neuroimaging technology to provide the first indications of the benefits of doll play at a brain level. Through monitoring the brain activity of 33 children* between the ages of 4 and 8, as they played with a range of Barbie dolls, the team found that the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), a region of the brain associated with social information processing such as empathy, was activated even when the child was playing on their own. These benefits of solo doll play were shown to be equal for both boys and girls. 

Dr. Gerson explains: “This is a completely new finding. We use this area of the brain when we think about other people, especially when we think about another person’s thoughts or feelings. Dolls encourage them to create their own little imaginary worlds, as opposed to say, problem-solving or building games. They encourage children to think about other people and how they might interact with each other. The fact that we saw the pSTS to be active in our study shows that playing with dolls is helping them rehearse some of the social skills they will need in later life. Because this brain region has been shown to play a similar role in supporting empathy and social processing across six continents, these findings are likely to be country agnostic”. 

To gather the data for the study, the children’s play was split into different sections so the Cardiff team could capture the brain activity relating to each other kind of play separately: playing with the dolls on their own; playing with the dolls together with another person (the research assistant); playing with the tablet game on their own and playing with the tablet game along with another person (the research assistant). 

The dolls used included a diverse range of Barbie dolls and play sets, with all Barbie dolls and sets returned to starting positions before each child began their test to ensure consistency of experience. Tablet play was carried out using games that allow children to engage with open and creative play (rather than a rule or goal-based games) to provide a similar play experience to doll play. 

The findings of the study show that when children played alone with dolls, they showed the same levels of activation of the pSTS as they do when playing with others. Another finding of the study is that when children were left to play tablet games on their own, there was far less activation of the pSTS, even though the games involved a considerable creative element. 

To understand the relevancy of these neuroscience findings, Barbie independently commissioned a global survey** that asked more than 15,000 parents of children in 22 countries. Results of this showed 91 percent of parents ranked empathy as a key social skill they would like their child to develop, but only 26 percent were aware that doll play could help their child develop these skills. During this time at home, parents are increasingly worried about ensuring their child is developing social development skills, with more than two-thirds (70 percent) saying they are concerned about how this isolation might affect their child and how their child interacts with others. Similarly, 74 percent of parents are more likely to encourage their child to play with a toy if they knew it was proven to help their child develop social and emotional skills, like empathy. 

“As leaders in the dolls category, we’ve always known that doll play has a positive impact on kids, but up until now, we have not had neuroscientific data that demonstrates these benefits,” says Lisa McKnight, SVP and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel. “The findings of this research highlights that playing with dolls, such as Barbie, offers positive benefits in preparing children for the future through nurturing social skills like empathy. As we continue to inspire the limitless potential in every child, we are proud to offer dolls that encourage skills we know are highly valued by parents and are determinants in children’s future emotional, academic, and social success.” 

Barbie will be supporting these findings with an online hub, Barbie.com/Benefits, featuring resources for parents, caregivers, and children, to assist them in enhancing and applying their social processing skills. These resources have been developed alongside leading empathy expert, writer, and educational psychologist, Dr. Michele Borba. 

Michele Borba says: “The latest scientific findings from Cardiff University and Barbie are extraordinary and so relevant to the times we are living, given the limited social interaction our children can have. It’s been shown that children who have developed empathy and social skills early in life can have better grades, stay in school longer and make healthier choices overall. Empathetic children might also be more likely to stand up for a child being bullied and try to engage and resolve the conflict. Understanding that kids can help develop these skills through playing with dolls like Barbie, is remarkable and a helpful tool for parents.” 

The results of the study are published today in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience as ‘Exploring the Benefits of Doll Play through Neuroscience.’ Recognising that this study is a first step towards understanding the positive impact of doll play with further research required to build on these initial findings, Dr. Sarah Gerson and the Cardiff University team along with Mattel, have committed to further neuroscience studies in 2021.

*Study was conducted with 42 children (20 x boys and 22 x girls) aged from 4-8 years old with full data captured from 33 children.
**Survey by OnePoll in July 2020 in 22 different countries questioning 15,000 parents of children aged from 3-10 years old.

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Unboxing #BarbieColorReveal from @Mattel #KeishaAndYou

Hi Friends, 

Mattel sent Barbie's Color Reveal and it was so great to receive the same for my elder daughter who runs her own Youtube channels and generally unboxes some of the board games and other toys from time to time. Barbie Dolls are always girls favourite collectables and Keisha too had a lot of them. 

Barbie's Color Reveal is a totally different concept where you don't know which doll you are purchasing. It includes 7 surprises which your kids will definitely enjoy and this experiment will definitely bring them a lot of fun. The recommended age group mentioned on the Barbie Color Reveal is 3+ years of age. But I think as it contains some kind of warm water and dissolvable paint, this should be done under the supervision of kids and not on the carpets as it can stain the carpet floor. 

Barbie Color Reveal that we got is from Series 1 which has 5 different forms of Barbie dolls. The package contains the pink coloured doll which when put into the warm water for 60-120 seconds will reveal the colour of the doll. The hairstyles are different for each doll which also comes in a different package. Another thing that comes is also sandals for the dolls and another package contains the skirt. A magical sponge changes the hair colour and makeup of the doll too. Check out this video from Keisha & You and enjoy the process! 

Thanks to Mattel for sending the Barbie Color Reveal doll and we really enjoyed the process of unpacking the revealing mysterious doll. Barbie Color Reveal is available at ToysRus and also at Takealot.com for around R379 with MRP of R409. Grab one for you little ones or to gift to someone who would love to reveal the barbie behind the pink paint. 

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@Mattel Unveils #ThankYouHeroes Program From #Barbie @chtrust1 @Barbie

Hi Friends, 

• For every eligible career Barbie doll sold at ToysRUs from 3 August to 31 August, 2020 Barbie will donate a doll to the Children’s Hospital Trust and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. 
• Program is part of the Company’s broader Play it Forward platform, which focuses on leveraging Mattel brands to give back to communities in times of need. 

Mattel South Africa announced today that, as part of its Barbie #ThankYouHeroes programme, it will donate a Barbie doll for each eligible career doll purchased from ToysRUs stores nation-wide. This initiative taking place from the 3rd of August 2020 to the 31st of August 2020, is aiming to donate about 1500 dolls to the Children’s Hospital Trust (CHT). 

The CHT is an NPO that raises funds to advance child healthcare through the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital. From upgrades to its buildings and facilities, to the implementation of several projects and programmes and upskilling of medical professionals from across Africa. 

The Barbie #ThankYouHeroes programme is part of Mattel’s broader “Play it Forward” platform, which focuses on leveraging Mattel brands to give back to communities in times of need. 

The ‘buy a doll, donate a doll’ initiative will see dolls handed over to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital will then be distributed to patients diagnosed with the coronavirus. The aim is to bring joy and encourage children to aspire to become whatever they would like to be in the world. 

“As Barbie highlights role models to inspire the limitless potential in the next generation, we are proud to launch a programme celebrating the real-life heroes working on the frontlines and supporting their families,” said Lisa McKnight, SVP and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls, Mattel. With 200 careers and counting, Barbie celebrates inclusivity and diversity through its dolls which show girls that they can be anything that their heart’s desire”. “We want to do our part to give back and inspire today’s kids to take after their heroes one day”, she adds. 

“The children who receive care at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital often remind us the value of resilience and no matter how awful they feel, they will share a smile and find a way to crawl into our hearts. Several children have been through a very tough time and receiving a gift will bring joy to their lives. We sincerely appreciate the support and cannot wait to share the gifts with them”, says CEO of the CHT, Chantel Cooper. 

About Mattel

Mattel is a leading global children’s entertainment company that specializes in the design and production of quality toys and consumer products. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic franchises, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, American Girl®, Fisher-Price®, Thomas & Friends™ and MEGA®, as well as other popular brands that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music and live events. We operate in 40 locations and sell products in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and technology companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in exploring the wonder of childhood and empowering kids to reach their full potential. Visit us online at www.mattel.com. 

About The Children’s Hospital Trust 

The Children's Hospital Trust was established in 1994 to fundraise for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and in 2011 expanded its reach to fundraise for paediatric healthcare in the Western Cape and beyond. Since 1994, the Trust has proudly assisted the Hospital to upgrade its buildings and equipment and to develop its professional staff. 100% of all donations go directly to the Hospital and prioritised paediatric healthcare needs, and not a single cent is spent on administration costs. The Trust is a non-profit organisation that relies on the benevolence of donors to realise its aims and objectives. It enjoys a record of sound financial administration and good governance, but whilst it has raised funds to address many pressing needs, much has yet to be done. www.childrenshospitaltrust.org.za. 

About The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital 

The Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital was built in 1956 and remains a cornerstone of child healthcare in Southern Africa. The Hospital is the first stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa, dedicated entirely to children and manages 250 000 patient visits each year. Most of these patients are from poor and marginalised communities and one third are younger than a year. The Hospital’s patients are referred from the Western Cape, the rest of South Africa and our continent. The Hospital provides training to paediatric healthcare professionals from the entire sub-continent and does important research into the illnesses of childhood, which has a global impact.

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