蜜桃影视

This is part of our Community Cultivator series, which highlights how innovators across all sectors build and sustain global communities from the ground up.

Early Learning Nation’s Community Cultivator series has highlighted the accomplishments and perspectives of an , a , a , an a and more. Our youngest Community Cultivator to date is 10-year-old Molly Mabray 鈥� she鈥檚 also the first fictional character.

She may not be real, but she鈥檚 really incredible. Molly possesses the talent and drive of the others in the series鈥攁nd then some.

鈥泪 love little kids,鈥� says the star and namesake of PBS鈥檚 animated series Molly of Denali, upon hearing about Early Learning Nation. 鈥泪n fact, I used to be one!鈥�

Each episode finds Molly and her friends exploring nature, science and Alaska Native culture in and around the Trading Post run by Molly鈥檚 parents. Grandpa Nat, Auntie Midge and other characters provide patient guidance and Indigenous knowledge. A vlog narrated by Molly is a part of many episodes and each story is followed by a live-action segment with real-life children asking questions and learning more about the themes presented in the animated portion. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my favorite part,鈥� Molly says, 鈥淏ecause I want people to understand what life is really like here. For instance, we don鈥檛 all live in igloos.鈥�

Molly brought along a few friends for our conversation: Dorothea Gillim, executive producer, Princess Daazhraii Johnson, creative producer and Sovereign Bill, an actor of Tlingit and Muckleshoot descent who gives Molly her voice.

Gillim, creator of PBS鈥檚 , says that 10-year-old girls make for ideal protagonists of animated series aimed at four-to-eight-year-olds. 鈥淭hey are aspirational figures,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭hey grasp abstract ideas, but they can also be playful and silly.鈥�

鈥淪he has curiosity,鈥� adds Johnson, who belongs to the Neets鈥檃ii Gwich鈥檌n people. 鈥淎nd she鈥檚 rewarded for being a problem-solver.鈥�

Both Gillim and Johnson emphasized how much Sovereign has done to bring Molly to life. The 16-year-old actor, who lives outside Seattle, says it鈥檚 important for her that the show brings out stories and topics not always taught in school. 鈥淣ative people haven鈥檛 always been represented accurately in the media,鈥� she says. 鈥淥r represented enough.鈥�

Over the summer, the Peabody Awards recognized 鈥淢olly of Denali鈥� for celebrating Alaska Native traditions and values.

The series premiere traced the story of Grandpa Nat鈥檚 childhood experience in boarding school, where Native language and music was forbidden. 鈥淥ur culture was taken away,鈥� Sovereign summarizes. Subsequent episodes have addressed climate change and other issues not usually associated with children鈥檚 television programming. Johnson anticipates programming that confronts racism.

鈥泪鈥檓 not afraid to speak out,鈥� Molly asserts. 鈥泪 may be just ten, but I鈥檝e learned a lot, and I have a lot to share.鈥�

Sovereign predicts that the show will continue to address climate change. 鈥淣ative people respect the Earth, and we鈥檙e taught to take care of it,鈥� she says. The show鈥檚 animators capture Alaska鈥檚 natural beauty, though she contends that the state鈥檚 actual mountains and forests greatly exceed the lush drawings.

鈥淢olly of Denali鈥� isn鈥檛 all about pressing issues of the day. It has plenty of mischief and gentle jokes, too. 鈥淎 lot of teasing goes on in our culture,鈥� says Johnson. Pairing the serious and the silly is a way of 鈥渞especting the emotional intelligence of our audience.鈥�

Gillim notes that PBS鈥檚 鈥淎rthur,鈥� which has been on the air for two decades, paved the way for how children鈥檚 programming could address sensitive topics鈥攊ncluding divorce, gender norms, immigrant rights and autism.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 蜜桃影视. Learn more here.