NICKELODEON’S THE HALO EFFECT HONORS DETROIT TEEN CHRISTINA LI,
IN “HELLO WORLD,” PREMIERING FRIDAY, MAY 20, AT 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT)
Li Recognized for Exemplary Work to Increase Girls’ Participation in Computer Science
Nickelodeon Partners with Girls Who Code, Code.org, MIT Scratch and Afterschool Alliance
for Multi-Platform STEM and Coding Initiatives
Follow The HALO Effect on Twitter @NickelodeonHALO and Facebook #HALOEffectChallenge
NEW YORK-MAY 13, 2016-Extraordinary teen Christina Li uses her passion for technology to increase female participation in the field of computer science in an all-new episode of The HALO Effect, “Hello World,” premiering Friday, May 20, at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. The episode follows Li as she organizes and instructs a computer science camp for middle school girls in her Michigan school district. Airing monthly, The HALO Effect highlights teens who “help and lead others” (HALO) in their community and inspire others to do the same. “Hello World” will encore Monday, May 23, at 8:00pm (ET/PT) on Nicktoons and Sunday, May 29, at 9:30pm (ET/PT) on TeenNick.
Li’s interest in coding started in the third grade when she picked up a copy of HTML for Dummies and began building websites for fun. Falling in love with tech and being a natural, Li joined her school’s Robotics Club and participated in numerous summer tech programs to advance her learning. During a computer science summer class, she noticed that most of the students were males and there was only one other girl besides herself. Looking to close the gender gap in the tech world, Li created Hello World, a computer science day camp specifically for young girls. The camp aims to teach programing code, web development, app and game design and robotics through fun and immersive workshops. In recognition of her outstanding leadership and encouragement, Nickelodeon will award a $10,000 grant to Li’s camp.
In each episode of The HALO Effect, the profiled teen will issue a “HALO Effect Challenge,” a call-to-action encouraging inspired viewers to participate in their cause and join the HALO movement. As part of Li’s “HALO Effect Challenge,” she is encouraging everyone to post a photo of their best emoji face or share a screenshot of them completing three levels of a coding game using #HALOEffectChallenge. For more information on Li and her challenge, viewers can visit www.nick.com/haloeffect.
Continuing its commitment to build awareness around STEM education and coding with kids, Nickelodeon is working with organizations like Girls Who Code, Code.org, MIT Scratch and Afterschool Alliance. Along with the coding-themed HALO Effect premiere, the network is supporting its efforts with a brand-new hour-long episode of Game Shakers “Revenge @ Tech Fest,” airing Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. Produced in partnership with Girls Who Code, the Game Shakers enlist the help of Girls Who Code to defeat a mysterious creature seeking vengeance at Tech Fest. The special features two members of an LA-based Girls Who Code club as extras. Additionally, Nickelodeon is launching a new game, “Code a Character,” (May 16) on Nick.com/code, a new site where kids can play Nickelodeon-themed coding games and learn more about the importance of computer science.
The HALO Effect launched in 2013 as a year-round initiative recognizing one deserving teen every month for their work to help and lead others in their community. The initiative was built upon Nickelodeon’s HALO Awards, an annual concert event honoring young community leaders with a grant for their organization and scholarship funds. To date, more than 50 teens across the country have been honored and have received more than $400,000 in grants to fund their non-profit organizations.
The HALO Effect series expands Nickelodeon’s ongoing commitment to the HALO movement by giving an in-depth look into the inspirational stories of teens who are eager to share the issues and projects important to them and excited to engage others to achieve an impact. The monthly series is hosted by Sydney Park (Instant Mom) and executive produced by Nick Cannon and NCredible Entertainment, as well as Morgan Spurlock, Richard Arlook, Jeremy Chilnick, Matthew Galkin and Ethan Goldman of Warrior Poets.
Nickelodeon, now in its 37th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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