Nickelodeon announced Monday that "Let's Just Play" -- its first new
social-awareness campaign since "The Big Help" -- is beginning as a grassroots
effort in conjunction with Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
The campaign will urge youngsters to get out and play during the summer
months as a way to get kids more physically active.
"Play is the center of everything kids love, and yet today, the combinations
of the latchkey phenomenon, increased academic pressures, limited community
resources and the elimination of after-school programs have led to kids being
less active with their leisure time," Nick executive vice president and general
manager Cyma Zarghami said in a prepared statement.
The network hopes its campaign will "affect change in a positive way for
kids," she added.
The first series of public-service announcements, entitled "It's Summer, Get
Out and Play," will begin airing Monday night on Nickelodeon.
There will also be online and magazine elements in the initiative, as well as
"Let's Just Play Across America" events in local communities in association with
the Boys and Girls Clubs. The latter component will culminate this fall with a
live event on Nickelodeon.
DirecTV Inc. is a local presenting sponsor for the community events, a
Nickelodeon spokesman added.
