The "Guess Who?" Children's Educational Program

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The "Guess Who?" Children's Educational Program

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We've created a series of educational videos for kids that sort of teach them gender stereotyping, teach them a little bit about media literacy. And the series is called Guess Who. And each one - there's five - each one was created at a different university. The first one was Boston University, my alma mater. And what the videos do is interview kids and ask them about certain professions. For example, in the first one, they ask kids to describe, what does a chef look like? And various kids give their answers. And a cartoon image of that is drawn. And every kid says "he has a big mustache. He's fat. He's wearing a chef's hat." They ask him what does a mathematician look like, and they draw a picture of that. He has a mustache. He has pencils in his pocket. He wears glasses. And then they say to the kids, they're interviewing to them, would you be surprised to find out that the mathematician or the chef was a woman? And the reactions are literally like we made this 40 years ago. The kids are stunned. They go, "what?" One of them goes, "is that possible?" In the 21st century, this is what kids' reactions are. So clearly we need to educate kids that girls can do important things, that women can hold important occupations. So these videos are available on our website, and there's also educational materials that go along with it so schools can teach the Guess Who series in their classes.

Watch Geena Davis's video on The "Guess Who?" Children's Educational Program...

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Geena Davis

Academy Award Winning Actor & Founder of Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

Academy Award winner Geena Davis is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, appearing in several roles that became cultural landmarks. Earning the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, Davis broke ground in her portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s hit show “Commander in Chief.”In 1989, Davis received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the offbeat dog trainer Muriel Pritchett in Lawrence Kasdan’s “The Accidental Tourist.” She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Ridley Scott’s “Thelma & Louise,” in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon. Davis went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon Dottie Hinson in “A League of Their Own.” Davis made her feature film debut starring opposite Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” She went on to star in such films as “The Fly,” “Beetlejuice,” “Angie,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” and “Stuart Little.”

Few have achieved such remarkable success in as many different fields as Davis has: she is not only an Oscar and Golden Globe winning actor, but a world-class athlete (at one time the nation’s 13th-ranked archer), a member of the genius society Mensa, and is becoming recognized for her tireless advocacy of women and girls nearly as much as for her acting accomplishments. She is the founder of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters – and reduce gender stereotyping – in media made for children 11 and under.

Davis was appointed Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT for the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Davis is also an official partner of UN Women, working toward their goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women worldwide. Davis is the Chair of the California Commission on the Status of Women. Davis holds honorary degrees from Boston University, Bates College and New England College. 

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Transcription: 
We've created a series of educational videos for kids that sort of teach them gender stereotyping, teach them a little bit about media literacy. And the series is called Guess Who. And each one - there's five - each one was created at a different university. The first one was Boston University, my alma mater. And what the videos do is interview kids and ask them about certain professions. For example, in the first one, they ask kids to describe, what does a chef look like? And various kids give their answers. And a cartoon image of that is drawn. And every kid says "he has a big mustache. He's fat. He's wearing a chef's hat." They ask him what does a mathematician look like, and they draw a picture of that. He has a mustache. He has pencils in his pocket. He wears glasses. And then they say to the kids, they're interviewing to them, would you be surprised to find out that the mathematician or the chef was a woman? And the reactions are literally like we made this 40 years ago. The kids are stunned. They go, "what?" One of them goes, "is that possible?" In the 21st century, this is what kids' reactions are. So clearly we need to educate kids that girls can do important things, that women can hold important occupations. So these videos are available on our website, and there's also educational materials that go along with it so schools can teach the Guess Who series in their classes.