Telemundo launches ‘Aprender es Triunfar’

Telemundo announced the launch of its new nationwide pro-social campaign, Aprender es Triunfar (To Learn is to Succeed), aimed at encouraging students to pursue education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). With the support of its parent company Comcast Corporation and in partnership with distinguished Hispanic organizations, including the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), ¡Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the campaign seeks to empower and provide useful tools and resources to empower U.S. Hispanic families.

As one of the central pillars of its nationwide pro-social campaign, the new documentary film, Underwater Dreams, was released theatrically earlier in July and will be shown across the country at up to 100 community screenings. In addition, the film was broadcast on Telemundo and MSNBC this past weekend, and will air on mun2 today at 4 p.m. EST/ 3 p.m. CST. The year-round campaign also will consist of on-air public service announcements featuring Noticiero Telemundo’s anchor Jose Diaz-Balart and reporter Vanessa Hauc, as its official education champions, coupled with education news stories from a team of local education reporters. In addition, this year’s efforts will include the distribution of thousands of backpacks to students across key markets.  Telemundo also will celebrate “Education Week” with a series of special segments in its network and local newscasts, and its public affairs program, Enfoque con Jose Diaz-Balart.

“The top issues in the Hispanic community are education, jobs and the economy,” said Raquel Egusquiza, Vice President, Community Affairs, Hispanic Enterprises and Content, NBCUniversal. “With STEAM occupations forecasted to provide 2.8 million job openings through 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, we are committed to educating Hispanics about the great financial opportunities of pursuing a STEAM education.”

The 2014-2015 Aprender es Triunfar campaign will include:

–        Public service announcements featuring Noticiero Telemundo anchor Jose Diaz-Balart and reporter Vanessa Hauc. The messages, directed to parents, will empower Hispanics to take advantage of the available resources for the Latino youth and increase awareness of career opportunities in the various STEAM fields.
–        A back-to-school distribution of thousands of Aprender es Triunfar backpacks to students in key Hispanic markets including Los Angeles, New York, Miami and Houston. Collaborating in the effort are the Telemundo Network and local stations, community organizations and schools. Backpacks will include practical education resources.
–        The documentary film, Underwater Dreams, was released theatrically on July 11, 2014, in Los Angeles and New York. The film chronicles the compelling and inspirational story of four undocumented teenage boys who entered a sophisticated underwater robotics competition, going up against the likes of engineering powerhouse MIT. To view the official trailer for Underwater Dreams, click here.  In addition, AMC will host community screenings, along with community partners, free of charge for schools, non-profits and other communities whose members would be inspired and entertained by this movie. This past weekend, Telemundo and MSNBC broadcast a special television version of the film and mun2 will air it today at 4 p.m. EST/ 3 p.m. CST. In collaboration with its parent company Comcast Corporation, and its partner LULAC, Telemundo presented Underwater Dreams at this year’s LULAC National Youth Pre-Convention at Princeton University.
–        In partnership with SHPE, Telemundo will host an Underwater Dreams film screening and an education panel at the 2014 National Institute for Leadership Advancement (NILA) Conference in La Jolla, CA, at the SHPE Noche de Ciencias in various cities across the U.S., and at the 2014 SHPE National Conference in Detroit, MI. The film and educational panels will serve to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
–        Telemundo’s Jose Diaz-Balart hosted an education town hall meeting, “Aprender Es Triunfar: Underwater Robots in the Community, Classroom, and Movies,” at NCLR’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles, this past weekend. Topics focused on digital technology and STEAM opportunities for the Latino youth.
–        A special edition of Telemundo’s public affairs program Enfoque con Jose Diaz-Balart broadcast from Los Angeles on July 20 highlighting NCLR’s National Latino Family Expo and Conference and included segments on STEAM education.
–        Monthly news segments on Noticiero Telemundo  offering  profiles of prominent Hispanics who have succeeded in a STEAM field, tips on how parents can help their students navigate their path to college, information on financial aid resources specific to STEAM careers and highlights on the greater potential of job opportunities for U.S. Hispanics who pursue a STEAM degree.
–        Telemundo will host a STEAM Leadership Conference in collaboration with the ¡Adelante! U.S. Education Leadership Fund in the fall.