“OOPA'S World of Words” released its video series, “Remembering September 11th,” to help parents and educators teach children about the tragic day and its lasting impact on the way we live 25 years later.

The five episodes run for 7 to 8 minutes each and focus on a specific word that resonates with young children while connecting to the events on Sept. 11, 2001. 

“OOPA'S World of Words” debuted in January 2024 as part of the nonprofit organization NaliniKIDS, founded by Rupa Mehta, its executive director, and her husband, Sam Goldberg, who is the writer and producer. Goldberg's experience partly comes from his production of the movie "Silo" that focused on a grain bin rescue by firefighters. Jamie Hurwitz helped produce the episodes and is the co-executive director of NaliniKIDS.

"There's essentially one or two lines in each script that address September 11, and the rest sets it up and moves on to the next one," Hurwitz said. "When you watch them in that order, you get the full 9/11 story, but each one on its own can actually stand on its own. Hopefully, people see that."

The nonprofit organization teaches 3 to 18 year olds how to analyze the words they use in their lives, helping them better understand their peers. It has been successful in the New York City school system for 17 years, with some programs embedded in school curricula. For Goldberg and Mehta, its focus shifted when COVID-19 hit.

"When our daughter turned four, we asked ourselves, what kind of content we would let her watch if we did screen time, because so much of the stuff today is so overstimulating for kids," Goldberg told Firehouse.

That was the beginning of “OOPA'S World of Words.” Mehta plays OOPA, the teacher, while Goldberg writes the episodes. The video series was filmed a few months ago on Mehta and Goldberg’s property, which used to be a summer camp.

"Kids at that young age, it is all about the physical piece of things being woven in," Hurwitz stated. "I think our ability to take intangible or hard-to-talk-about topics and make them approachable for kids lends itself really well to a topic like this."

The idea of “Remembering September 11” came to the couple while they were watching television on Sept. 11, 2024, as families on the screen talked about how they felt the promise of never forgetting wasn’t being upheld because it wasn’t being taught in schools.

"Beyond that, I really think that this is going to be an emotional catharsis for the adults directly affected by that day," Mehta told Firehouse.com. "I really hope that these episodes could be watched in a family setting for those families directly affected that day. I hope that those families feel like it won't ever be forgotten."

There were two audiences in mind, according to Mehta. The first being children of the people who were directly affected by the tragedy, and the second being teachers who are apprehensive and potentially uncomfortable to teach Sept. 11 or who weren’t alive for the day.

"We thought we could do something with our show that tackles words that can help children understand what happened on that day in a developmentally appropriate way," Goldberg stated.

The nonprofit teamed up with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), the New York City Department of Education and Turtle Plastics to bring the video series to fruition. The connection goes back to Goldberg’s movie “Silo.” One of the film’s investors was Liz Paintiff, CEO of Turtle Plastics and a member of the NFFF’s board of directors advisory committee.

NaliniKIDS held its fundraiser a week after the 23rd anniversary of Sept. 11. Paintiff was there, and the two pitched the idea to her. She pointed to the NFFF, and its CEO, Victor Stagnaro, said that 2025 is not the year to do it.

Following that, the NFFF had a second Sept. 11 memorial, which Goldberg and Mehta attended, where they met the former FDNY commissioner, Sal Cassano.

“When Sal spoke, Rupa turned to me and said, 'That guy has to be in our series,” Goldberg recalled. “I think he's going to be the one to get this going.”

Another call with the NFFF followed, and Goldberg later wrote the five episodes. Each episode was read to the special guests, the NFFF, child grief specialists, early childhood educators, social studies teachers and friends.

"If we could almost handle events like this and help a community communicate it to their own children, I feel like we're putting a model out there that I'm really proud of," Mehta told Firehouse.

The next step was to get the word out and raise schools' awareness of the material. The group knew it was a difficult topic for teachers to convey to young students.

"When discussing this with educators, they were so eager to have something that could be a soft-landing spot to have these dialogs," Goldberg told Firehouse. "It's a very practical approach, taking this concept of Sept. 11, and contextualizing it for something kids can understand and personalize."

Along with the video series, there is also a teacher and parent guide that provides additional resources to help educators integrate this topic into children’s lives.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible for teachers who are ready to do this, do it,” Hurwitz said. “It's okay to feel like you're not sure about talking to kids about this.”

“We wanted to make sure that we have a guide that gives them that black and white structure, but also the flexibility to see themselves in it,” Mehta said.

Additionally, there are children's books that go with each word. Some of the books connect more with the chosen word than Sept. 11, but there are still two Sept. 11-specific children's books to help further along the comprehension of the event. 

The organization will also release behind-the-scenes videos for each guest, who share their stories, connections and why they think Sept. 11 is important to teach.

On Sept. 18, NaliniKIDS will host an event at a Staten Island, NY, school to screen the episodes and gain additional exposure, with the former FDNY fire commissioner, Sal Cassano, in attendance.

"We're kind of flipping Sept. 11 on its head," Mehta remarked, "In ways by saying that yes, this was a tragic event, but it doesn't need to be avoided at the beginning of the school year. You could use it to build and create community, and it can be done in a rich and meaningful way.”

Mehta, Goldberg and Hurwitz all agreed that this was the most powerful project they’ve worked on, personally and professionally.

"I think it will affect the trajectory of what NaliniKIDS as an organization seeks to do going forward," Hurwitz said. "We're looking to do more work like this."

The reason for the release ahead of the 25th anniversary is because they were told by Nora Lovett, the former head of curriculum for the New York City Department of Education, made it clear that if the project could be done by the end of the academic year, it would be a crucial time to expose teachers and have them feel comfortable with it heading into the fall.

“My hope is that firefighters, fire stations, and schools could connect on this,” Mehta said. “I think that would be powerful. At some schools, they have the local fire station get involved, but there's always room to amp that up.”

This educational resource for young children can be accessed by educators, parents and children for free. As firefighters, you can look to your local schools to help expand awareness of these powerful educational materials.