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Entertainment Education Programs
The Philippines: Foundation for Adolescent Development Enter-Educate Videos on Adolescent Health, Sexuality and Development
For many years FAD had relied on lectures, group discussions, and print materials solicited from other NGOs to educate young people about alcohol and drugs, STD testing, family planning, and related topics. Many of the print materials were highly technical in nature and did not address the social context in which adolescents make decisions about reproductive health. Recognizing the need for more effective learning tools, FAD, with technical assistance from the Johns Hopkins University/Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) and support from the U.S. International Agency for Development (USAID), developed an enter-educate video package on adolescent reproductive health and sexuality. Designed primarily for small-group presentation, the package consists of five drama videos, a music video, and a discussion guide for group facilitators. Video was selected as the medium most likely to hold the attention of young Filipinos, who in the metropolitan areas have access to a wide variety of commercial television channels and cinematic films.
The videos are based on the Learning Process, an adaption of the Learning Spiral concept presented in A Popular Education Handbook, by Beveral Burke and Rick Arnold. The learning process consists of five stages: (1) experiencing, in which participants view the video and vicariously experience the dilemmas with the characters; (2) naming the experience, in which the facilitator helps the participants identify major themes in the video; (3) analyzing the experience, in which the facilitator discusses the themes in greater depth; (4) synthesizing and summarizing, in which participants share their personal insights and articulate for themselves the lessons of the videos; and (5) planning and doing, in which participants do role plays or individual action plans to practice skills and apply their learning. Enter-educate approach
Each video begins with an introduction by FAD’s longtime spokesperson, Lea Salonga, who played the lead role in “Miss Saigon” in London and New York. Ms. Salonga also summarizes the key points at the conclusion of each video to set the stage for the group discussion. For years Ms. Salonga has advocated for young people’s increased access to information and services regarding reproductive health. In support of a national multi-media campaign conducted by the Department of Health and JHU/PCS, Ms. Salonga recorded a hit song, “That Situation,” which encourages young people to delay sex and wait for the right moment. The song warned young people to not make the wrong decision -- “Why should we risk it? Our future’s on the line.” The Lea Salonga song was promoted on t-shirts and posters, through contests, and in radio and television spots, and were linked with FAD’s Dial-A-Friend telephone hotline. Evaluation in metro Manila showed that more than 90 percent of the young people surveyed remembered the message, about half said they were influenced by it and talked to others about it, and 25 percent sought more information. The Dial-A-Friend Telephone Hotline (the number promoted on screen) promoted in radio and television spots was overwhelmed by calls. Over the years, Ms. Salonga has established herself as a credible, popular source of advice and information about adolescent reproductive health and development. Her presence in the enter-educate videos provides continuity to FAD’s outreach efforts and continues to attract young people’s attention and trust. To facilitate the small-group viewing of the videos and discussion of key issues, the video package included a facilitator’s guide containing: (1) an explanation of the facilitator’s role and principles underlying the learning process; (2) an evaluation form to be completed by participants after the showing of each video; (3) a 6-page, fold-out discussion guide for each video to help the facilitator focus on key points; (4) a directory of agencies to provide referrals to youth needing crisis intervention; and (5) reference materials to enrich the facilitator’s knowledge of adolescent reproductive health. The discussion guides for each video were pretested with a classs of high school junior and seniors and with freshmen and sophomores in college, which is the equivalent of 9th-12th graders in the U.S.
The enter-educate video package on adolescent health, sexuality, and development resulted from collaboration between a Filipino NGO providing community-based outreach and a U.S-based organization specializing in health communication programs. The result was a commercially successful project that garnered support from partners in both private and public sectors. Penshoppe, a national Filipino-brand of teenage ready-to-wear clothing, has reproduced 450 cassettes for distribution in 40 schools in metro Manila. The company supported a facilitator for one year to show the videos in these schools. As part of its commitment to socially responsible advertising, Penshoppe promoted the videos along with its brand clothing during a special school tour and showed the MTV in 35 retail outlets. ADBOARD Philippines also has an interest in “values” advertising. FAD collaborated with the organization of advertisers to broadcast four videos on a national television channel on four consecutive Saturdays. The leading national newspaper, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, donated 1/4 page ads to promote the broadcast, and a major radio network ran ads and played the MTV song for free.
Enter-educate programs appeal to young people. Adolescents enjoy being entertained, and as a result, reported on the feedback forms that they liked the videos and were interested in the characters’ lives. Engaging the emotions of the audience is key to learning new behavior, which involves not only acquiring appropriate knowledge but also attitudinal change. Facilitated viewing with use of discussion guide enhances learning. While the videos brought important issues to the forefront and demonstrated a variety of behaviors, the ensuing discussions gave young people time to digest the information, reflect upon their own experiences, define the problems for themselves, and come up with solutions. The small-group viewing allowed for a deeper, more immediate learning experience as young people applied the new knowledge to their own lives. High-quality programs attract sponsors. FAD received initial funding for the development and production of the video package from USAID for use in the NGO’s existing programs. However, FAD’s commitment to producing high-quality material resulted in much wider exposure, as both private business and public sector saw the value of supporting the project. |
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The
Foundation for Adolescent Development (FAD) is a non-governmental,
non-profit organization providing education, counseling, and
referrals on reproductive health and sexuality for adolescents
ages 13-19 years. The organization’s mission is to prevent
problems of teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse, HIV/AIDS
infection, and other problems related to adolescent reproductive
health. FAD is unique in its ability to address these issues
openly given the conservative culture of the Philippines.
FAD
works with schools, government agencies, and other groups
to provide educational programs to mainstream youth. In addition,
FAD operates community centers in Manila and other major metropolitan
centers that target out-of-school youth -- perhaps the only
organization in the Philippines to offer preventive and educational
services to this audience. The organization also runs a 24-hour,
toll-free hotline for youth which is operated by trained volunteer
peer counselors who provide information, counseling, and referrals.
To
design the project, FAD drew upon the extensive body of information
collected through the “Dial-A-Friend” telephone
hotline since its inception in 1989. Developed and promoted
with assistance from JHU/PCS, the hotline has responded to
thousands of calls from young people over the years. The most
common concerns are unplanned pregnancy, boy-girl relationships,
problems communicating with parents, peer pressure, and drug
abuse. Each of these themes is addressed in one of the enter-educate
videos. The titles of the five videos and their topics are
1) “Do Not Enter,” which focuses on heterosexual
relationships and teen pregnancy, 2) “Just Like a Woman?
Just Like a Man?,” on gender issues, 3) “Three Friends,”
on peer pressure, 4) “Listen to Me, Please,” on
parent-child communication, and 5) “A - Z,” an omnibus
on adolescent development problems. In addition, the video
package includes an music video entitled “Me and Myself”
that addresses the adolescent struggle of expressing individuality
and defining self-image.
FAD
applied the enter-educate format to the development of the
videos, using conflict, humor, and other dramatic devices
to engage young people’s interest while promoting key
messages. For example, “Do Not Enter” uses the unfinished
theatre technique of Augusto Boal, which presents a scenario
up to the point where a decision is required -- whether or
not to have sex. Two different endings are presented that
show the negative and positive outcomes arising from the actress’
decisions. In the first scenario, the girl is pressured into
having sex with her boyfriend, becomes pregnant, and must
drop out of school. In the second scenario, the girl asserts
herself by refusing to have sex with her boyfriend, and stays
in school.
The
guide provides a “values framework” for each video,
or context for helping young people think ahead, weigh consequences,
and make responsible decisions. Through a series of questions,
the facilitator guides participants in thinking through the
issues presented in the video. For example, in “Do Not
Enter,” a story about boy-girl relationships, the facilitator
asks such question as, “What actions prove you love a
boy?” “When Mike demands sex from Kathy, does this
mean he is in love with Kathy? If yes, why? If no, why not?”
and “What situations can lead to the ‘point of no
return’?” The suggested summary in the discussion
guide for this video focuses on the difference between sexual
desire and love, and explains how to avoid risky situations
that may lead to unwanted sexual intimacy.
FAD
has had previous experience in securing support from private
businesses for its programs. The “Dial-A-Friend”
hotline has been financially supported supported by the Philippine
Telephone Company for more than eight years, resulting in
no cost to the project after initial funding expired.
© 2005 The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.