23 Aug Famous faces launch World Princess Week to inspire a kinder world
Famous faces including singer Anne Marie and Olympian Katarina Johnson-Thompson are coming together to launch World Princess Week next week to inspire small acts of kindness around the world.
The stars are supporting a Disney Princess pledge to deliver 45,000 ‘Moments that Matter’ for isolated and seriously ill children in hospital and hospices in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Pop star and The Voice coach Anne-Marie is hosting an intimate acoustic performance of her chart hits ‘2002’ and ‘Beautiful’ as part of Disney’s ‘Ultimate Princess Celebration’, which champions the qualities of courage and kindness.
The performance is being screened to children in hospital, via Disney’s charity partner MediCinema, which build and run cinemas in NHS hospitals. The content will also be available to view on Disney Junior’s UK YouTube channel.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson will be doing a virtual reading of Moana’s story from Tales of Courage and Kindness, an online story collection featuring 14 brand new Disney Princess stories that launched in April this year and is available for children to download for free during World Princess Week at Disneyprincessstories.co.uk. Katarina’s reading will be available for fans to enjoy later this year.
As part of ‘World Princess Week’ (23-29 August), Disney has created brand new video tutorials featuring simple ideas on how families and children can have a big impact on others, which will be available on Disney’s social channels. Disney fans will be able to follow along with ‘kindness activity’ tutorials, including how to make Cinderella-inspired kindness cards for friends, or how to bake Tiana’s beignets for loved ones. Families are encouraged to share their own acts of kindness by using the hashtag #UltimatePrincessCelebration.
Disney will also share brand new Princess stories, experiences and fun ways to spread kindness following research that reveals nine in ten UK adults believe small acts of kindness have the power to change the world for the better.
45,000 Princess-themed adventure packs will be delivered to seriously ill children in hospitals and places of care across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa, as part of Disney’s wider commitment to bring comfort and provide inspiration, with support from long standing charity partners.
These specially designed packs, created with charity partner MediCinema, aim to reduce isolation, stress and anxiety amongst children and families in places of care, providing ‘Moments that Matter’. The packs will contain new stories focusing on Disney Princess characters Rapunzel, Moana and Ariel, as well as arts and crafts activities that help to increase confidence and encourage acts of kindness.
New research conducted by Disney as part of the Ultimate Princess Celebration revealed that 70 per cent of children say it’s important to always show kindness and almost half (46 per cent) would stand up for people who are being bullied or are being treated in an unfair way. The survey highlights some of the top ways children like to show kindness, including:
Kind acts to make their family or friends happy e.g. baking a cake (49 per cent)
Asking parents to read a book with them (49 per cent)
Comforting family members and friends when they are upset (47 per cent)
Asking parents to spend time with them e.g. watching a movie or making dinner together (47 per cent)
Making time to play and catch up with friends (46 per cent)
Sharing stories with friends and family (44 per cent)
Helping friends with problems they are facing (37 per cent)
Listening when parents or friends are telling them a story that they know is important to them (36 per cent)
Offering to do chores around the house for parents (33 per cent)
Speaking to friends and family regularly (30 per cent)
