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In this screengrab, Malala Yousafzai speaks during Graduate Together: America Honors the High School...
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Malala Yousafzai Is Creating A New Children’s Series For Apple TV+

Apple TV+ has formed a “multiyear programming partnership” with the Nobel laureate.

by Morgan Brinlee

Big things are in the works for the youngest person to ever receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Malala Yousafzai will produce a children’s series for Apple TV+ under a new multiyear programming partnership. Apple announced Monday it had struck a new deal with Yousafzai that would see the Pakistani education activist and women’s rights champion produce original programming for the streaming television service.

“I believe in the power of stories to bring families together, forge friendships, build movements, and inspire children to dream,” Yousafzai said in a statement released by Apple TV+. “And I couldn’t ask for a better partner than Apple to help bring these stories to life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support women, young people, writers, and artists in reflecting the world as they see it.”

While Yousafzai’s partnership with Apple TV+ is expected to result in at least one yet-to-be-named children’s series, kids’ entertainment isn’t the only area of programming Yousafzai’s new production company Extracurricular will focus on. According to Apple, Yousafzai will also bring original dramas, comedies, documentaries, and animated programming to the streaming service. All of the original programming Yousafzai produces for Apple TV+ will “draw on her ability to inspire people around the world,” Apple said in a recent press release.

In a recent interview with CBS’ Gayle King, Apple CEO Tim Cook characterized Yousafzai as an impactful storyteller eager to connect with others to change the world. “Apple TV+ for us is a platform for very impactful and creative storytellers that really want to connect with their audience and change the world in the process,” Cook said. “And there’s no better example of that than Malala.”

The new partnership between Apple TV+ and Yousafzai’s new production company is not the first time the tech company and the Nobel-winning activist have joined forces. According to Deadline, this recent partnership builds on an existing relationship Apple has had with Yousafzai’s Malala Fund since 2018. The tech giant reportedly supports Yousafzai’s education activism efforts in at least eight countries, assisting with things like technology, curriculum, and policy research.

Like Cook, Yousafzai has also signaled that she’s eager to tap into the ways in which entertainment can draw us together and lift us up into change. “I am an education activist, but I believe that education is not limited to school: It’s part of everyday life. We learn from our parents. We learn from our daily experiences. We learn from the TV shows and movies we watch,” Yousafzai told Fast Company. “Entertainment can help us see what society should look like and what we should aspire to do. And we should never underestimate the power of what everyday life can teach us.”