Boston pubcaster GBH has announced the five up-and-coming writers who will take part in the first edition of its Kids Scriptwriting Fellowship, contributing to animated series Work It Out Wombats! (pictured). The program aims to bring BIPOC creatives into the script development process on kids shows, while providing hands-on learning experience.

This year’s participants are Mercedes Brazier-Thurman, a Harlem-based screenwriter and abolitionist educator; Shemeka Foster, a writer, educator and youth motivational speaker based in New York; Sofia Geck, a Brooklyn-based writer and composer; Toronto Film School graduate Cheyenne Lynn; and Dejen Tesfagiorgis, the founder of a media education startup who has appeared in videos for Disney+ and Cosmo.

Over 10 virtual sessions this summer, the writers will learn how to develop scripts for GBH; craft stories that engage kids in science, technology, engineering and math curriculum; and navigate the larger children’s media industry. They’ll also have weekly writing assignments, mentoring opportunities and feedback sessions.  The Kids Scriptwriting Fellowship is led by GBH head writer Kathy Waugh, whose credits include Curious George, Arthur and Molly of Denali.

Work It Out Wombats! is a 2D-animated preschool series from GBH Kids and Pipeline Studios. It revolves around three creative marsupials who use computer science concepts, such as debugging, to teach preschoolers how to solve problems in creative ways. PBS KIDS greenlit the show in January, and it’s set to premiere in early 2023.