Kevin is a puppet, who has relevant and interesting conversations with Miss B (Ms Brotherton’s character).
Her husband, Colin Wheeler, is the voice behind Kevin and developed his character. Kevin is based on a 10-12-year-old boy who loves Michael Jackson, his rock band (Kevin and the Disciples), his family and Jesus.
Kevin finds himself in “real life” situations that he needs help solving. He is always asking Miss B to help him, and Miss B always suggests a making Jesus real (MJR) strategy.
MJR is a values education resource, conceived by Peter Mitchell and published by Garratt Publishing. It aims to engage young people in conversation about where they see the spirit of Jesus (SOJ) in their everyday life and where they can be the SOJ for others. This resource places Jesus and his teachings into the everyday world and supports the current Religious Education curriculum.
“Attempting to engage children in religious theology and practice can be challenging,” Ms Brotherton said. “To ignite the flame is even more difficult.”
The children’s YouTube channel teaches young people how easy it is to keep the spirit of Jesus alive through the things they can do and say. Mr Mitchell, the original brains behind the philosophy believes that, through acting with the attitude and the values of Jesus we can all find a better and more positive way in responding to life situations.
“We can learn to be less judgmental and more understanding and to show resilience when things don’t go our way,” Ms Brotherton said. “For these lessons to be effective and have a life-long impact, the teaching and learning opportunities need to be fun and engaging. This is why I developed the concept of MJR with Kevin.”
Ms Brotherton and her husband write the scripts together, which are based on MJR teachings. Current issues also feature in the shows. For example, the issue of COVID-19 was addressed in episode 26.
“If there is a pressing issue in our world or in the media that we think young people might be worried about or frightened of, we try to combine an MJR teaching and relate it to that particular issue,” Ms Brotherton said.
Ms Brotherton hopes the show will make Jesus alive in the hearts and minds of every young person who watches, which they will then teach to the adults of this world. Her passion for this mission comes from her own relationship with Jesus.
“I am very lucky that I have always felt very close to Jesus,” she said. “His enormous love, constant blessings and grace he continually gives me is second to none.”
The message Ms Brotherton hopes comes through her shows is for all children to know that Jesus thinks they are all magnificent and has handpicked them for something amazing.
“This amazing plan God has for their lives will glorify him and bring grace, love and peace to our world,” she said. “We have all been given many gifts, we just need to lean into God and he will show us how to bring his spirit into the world.”
