How Are a Skateboarding Crocodile, Breakdancing Gazelle, and Zebra DJ Teaching Kids Mindfulness?
JUNGA WORLD LLC, a multimedia startup, teaches mindfulness and compassion through pop music and cutting edge animation.
Online, March 29, 2014 (Newswire.com) - There's a new revolution quietly brewing in the entertainment industry, led by artists who seek authenticity over applause, and sincerity over spectacle. These artists are collaborating with a common goal: to create new, positive role models for kids. Confronted with technology evolving at breakneck speeds, these rebels are embracing a new movement to stop for a minute, take a breath, and slow it down.
These musicians and artists have created JUNGA WORLD, a new digital comic and animated series for kids ages 5-12, centered on six animated teenagers—and bandmates—on a quest to find their unique "JUNGA"s, the passions and the purposes that make their lives meaningful. Along the journey, the band members develop emotional intelligence tools including self kindness, mindfulness, and a sense of shared humanity. Kids can participate in the exciting journey and are encouraged to use their newly developed tools and strengths to discover their own "JUNGA"s.
Collaborators on the project include: Niko Evangelista, Emmy-award winning graphic artist; Matt "Dumbo" Nguyen, winner of Americas's Best Dance Crew (Season 5); and Updownup, a burgeoning indie rock band. The program has been specifically designed "to speak to kids in their language about what they are interested in and to teach them the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion so that they have more respect and kindness for each other and the world," said Diana Winston, head of the UCLA Mindfulness Research Center and curriculum advisor for the project.
"Our current Kickstarter campaign is only the FIRST step of a much larger goal. We are creating appealing, authentic, and positive entertainment for kids that is experienced through fun, interactive and engaging new media," said founder Elisheva Wexler.
To watch the exclusive sneak peak trailer and find out more about the project, click here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1728050977/junga-world-discover-your-inner-rock-star?ref=live
Their premiere song, Power Within Me, is also available on iTunes. Will these musicians succeed in their efforts to discover their inner rockstars? Stay tuned...