Glynis Shea Communications Coordinator Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health...

Glynis SheaCommunications Coordinator

Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health

Healthy Youth Development • Prevention Research Center

A presentation for

CityMatCH Urban MCH Leadership Conference

Framing Adolescent HealthFraming Adolescent Health Communication Strategies for Building Public Will

Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent HealthHealthy Youth Development • Prevention Research Center

Agenda

Goals Get a taste of framing Discuss the public’s dominant frame for youth and youth programs

Discuss messages, strategies and techniques for re-framing

Participation required Evaluation


Prevention Research Center

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Konopka Institute

“I would liketo leave as a legacy people who can work with young people with strength, knowledge, imagination and deep caring.”


It’s all about the audience

Positioning Presence

An advertiser’s POV


Communications = telling stories


PRACTICE: Telling stories

Think about an experience you’ve had with youth

Share the story with your neighbor

In 1 minutes or less


It’s all about the audience


Situation analysis

Communications objective Build support for adolescents and youth development programs

Challenges Many hats status and lack of financial resources for communications

Audience perceptions (frame) restrict adoption of HYD model


Communications gurus

Frameworks Institute – Strategic Frame Analysis

Cultural Logic Berkley Media Studies Group

Communications research Test statements in focus groups Analyze cognitive patterns through 1:1s

Goals ID dominant frames Find re-frames that work


Frames

Handle lots of information -- fast! Look for cues to “connect” information to what you already know, think and feel

Make mental shortcuts Simplifying concepts “triggered” by symbols, pictures, metaphors and messengers -- the grammar of storytelling.

Once evoked, frames provide the reasoning necessary to process information and solve problems.


Frames & Framing

Frames are organizing principles that are socially shared and persistent over time, that work symbolically and meaningfully structure the social world.

Reese, Framing Public Life, 2001

Framing is the way a story is told and the way it cues up the shared and durable cultural models that people use to make sense of the world.

Bales, 2001

What is in your head that drives how you think and react

Structuring what you say and how you say it to best work with what is already in someone’s head


DISCUSS: Name a frame

Frames in the news “sound byte” themes or ideas that tell you how to think about theissue or story

Pro life

Pro choice

War on terror

Death tax

Gay marriage

Family values

Big government

Climate crisis


Implications for communicating

If the facts don’t fit the frame, it’s the facts that are rejected, not the frame

Challenge: change the lens through which they see the information

Be intentional: go beyond presenting information and facts

Effective: persuasive, incorporated


Framing lessons

Start where they are at?


DISCUSS: Elephants

What elephant-like phrases, approaches, stories have you encountered – specific to our field?


Framing lessons

Levels of Values Hierarchy of ideas and issues that track and direct thought

Cascading affect creates ability to reframe by changing levels

Level 1 values as re-framing and bridging strategy


Framing lessons

Level 1 - Big ideas like freedom, justice, community, success, prevention, responsibility, progress, stewardship

Level 2 - Issue types like the environment or child care

Level 3 - Specific issues like rain forests or teen pregnancy prevention


Framing applied

Level three

Level two

Level one

Youth Development

Success/Future of Community

Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Adolescent healthReproductive health

Personal PrivacyPersonal Responsibility


Communications research findings

Adolescent Frame


Adolescent frame

“People are absolutely

convinced that teens are

dangerous and in danger,

silly and self-absorbed and

corrupted by consumerism.”

Susan Nall Bales, Frameworks Institute


Teenager






Framed

Bostrom Content Analysis, 2001

50% of all youth news coverage

crime victimization

accidents

violent juvenile crime


Adolescent frame

Adolescents as otherShares my values most

Older people……………….. 55

White people………………. 27

Poor people……………….. 27

African-American people…. 21

Immigrants…………………. 17

Young people under 30…… 16

Rich people………………… 11

People on welfare…………. 7

Gallup poll cited by Bostrom, 2003


Apply your expertise here

Adolescent frame

Ecological model


Adolescent frame

Individual

Owner – bootstraps Personal journey Limited understanding of developmental process

Container to be filled with knowledge and values (vs. a material process)


Adolescent frame

Peers

Teen world

Family

Owns success and failure

Family bubble

Society, Community

Fuzzy on role

Environmental impact minimal

School

Owns learning and economic future; undercut HYD programs


Youth programs frame

Broad, shallow support vs. polls

Murky and conflicted on benefits

Education competes See no lack, no big problem

“Over-scheduled” media theme skews perception towards abundance


DISCUSS: Sound Familiar?

What rings true? Does it feel right? What would you add?


Messaging strategies

Long live healthy youth development

Avoid negative, counterproductive frames

Frame messages around shared values: future benefit to community

Educate on adolescent development (brain, connections, experiences)


Messaging Strategies:

Long live healthy youth development

Healthy Youth Development isa frame shift

Away from problem-centric towards strengths

Recognize impact of ALL areas (Ecological model)

Broadening learning (Social Emotional Learning)

Broadening health (Being, belong, becoming)


Messaging Strategies:

Don’t cue negative frames

Avoid crime/risk prevention messages

Cues negative frame Minimizes value of programs Send mom home

Avoid “at risk” segmentation Replace with “all youth”

Support parents Include parents!!!!!!!

Science-based?


Messaging Strategies: Lead with shared values

Benefit to community -- exchange

Community needs healthy, productive, well-rounded young people

Who will be able to give back and sustain the community

OBJECTION:Youth make contributions, have value NOW!

Key word

BENEFIT


Messaging Strategies: Lead with shared values

Adolescents as “Us” Envision adolescents and young adults as our neighbors, voters, taxpayers, employees and employers, soccer coaches, congregation members, etc.

Therefore a healthy adolescent is one with…

the experiences that create/build “us”

the connections to “us” they need to belong


Messaging Strategies: Educate on adolescent development

Greater understanding of developmental process creates receptivity for investment messages

Broaden the health frame to include needs central to developmental process

Getting there: 2 interconnected messages

Development needs … Brain architectureAdolescent vs. teenager vs. youth


Messaging Strategies: Development needs

Adolescents have a unique developmental need for…

Relationships and connections Positive, healthy experiences

Results Emphasizes the protective value of connection and HYD

Reframes HYD efforts as centrally important for development

Provides a rationale and value for the experiences offered by HYD efforts


Messaging Strategies: Brain architecture

Scientific breakthroughs! 14 – 25 PFC = CEO Use it or lose it

Talking about the brain is the strongest way to make development a material process

Brain architecture as simplifying model

Creates room for developmental requirements met by programs:

Experiences, connections Decision making


Messaging Strategies: Brain architecture

Concerns Emerging science Too many variables Biology is destiny Cuts both ways

Opportunities Already on agenda Effective way tocreate receptivity for discussing environmental concerns (stress)

When a youth experiences chronic or extreme stress, the brain releases chemicals that prevent neurons from growing and forming connections with each other – thereby impeding the development of health brain architecture.

Be answer ready!


Messaging Strategies: Brain architecture response

Everybody makes decisions! Not always good ones, not matter what your age. Lots of things effect those decisions all the time.

For adolescents, the brain’s exuberant development is one of those things.

What’s important is what we do with this info. Knowing what adolescents need, our role is to:

Offer tangible “support” for decision making: Provide the information they need Be there to help them work through the pros/cons and implications of their decisions.

Give them safe ways to practice/experience it After all, you can’t learn something unless you practice it. And wouldn’t you rather they practice on something relatively safe like the color of their hair, versus “borrowing” a car?


DISCUSS: The brain debate

Concerns? Clarifications? Question:

How should we as the youth-serving community handle this message?

Vote: scale of 1-10 10 = Use it 1 = Avoid it


Messaging strategy summary

Level threeLink developmental need to HYD effort

Level oneEstablish adolescents as us

Level twoShare an adolescent development fact

Story outline


Tactics

Effective Spokespeople Researchers/Scientists Elders

Hardworking Images Include adults! In community - active, engaged Express shared values

Establish situation Don’t assume audience knows about cut-backs, limits, etc.


Tactics: Naming

Minnesota Out of School Time Partnership




Tactics: Press questions

We hear a lot in the news media about the “critical hours between 3 and 6” when most juvenile crime takes place. Is that true? Will these programs lessen crime in our communities?

Studies show that the hours between 3 and 6, when children are unsupervised until their parents return from work, are the primetime hours for juvenile crime. Supervised programs can keep kids safe and out of trouble.


Tactics: Press questions

We hear a lot in the news media about the “critical hours between 3 and 6” when most juvenile crime takes place. Is that true? Will these programs lessen crime in our communities?

Strong, healthy communities depend on engaged, committed citizens. When young people become engaged in the community -- through volunteer work, or teams and clubs -- they grow up to become adults who are committed, engaged citizens which builds strong communities for the long-term.


Tactics: Print products

What does this photo communicate?

Kids are cute.

Lotsa kinds of kids

Kids doing …

What frame do we give our program?

It’s all about us

Otherwise empty buildings

Safe haven


Tactics: Print products

What does this photo communicate?

IN community

Shared values

With adults

What frame do we give our program?

All about youth & community

Big 3 points

Benefits all


Beyond tactics

advocate

grass roots mobilization

SELL

promote

campaign

persuade

argue

tell a story


Tell a story

Be intentional! Use stories to:

Gossip success Share your views with the people you know and meet

Take advantage of teachable moments

Ask people to do something


When to tell a story

Media opportunities Leverage headlines Give news context


When to tell a story

Conversational opportunities Purple hair Taking risks Youth involvement Understanding consequences

Identity

Decision

Making


How to tell a story

Tap into your passion Tell a story that includes

… adolescents as us

… healthy development requires opportunities for positive experiences

a chance to experience and build connections to community (relationships)


PRACTICE: Telling stories

Tell the story (or re-tell the story) + developmental factStory material:

• Accomplishments• Celebrations• A challenge

overcome• Surprise!• That was me• Witnessed


Who should tell a story

We are the medium Culture change Make more messengers

Your friends and family Your co-workers Your patients and their families

Community partners Everyone you meet


Go tell this story

Briefing outline Sell youth development: Story outline

Frameworks Messaging notes Resources


Thank you

Resources – www www.frameworksinstitute.org www.youthcommunityconnections.org/resources/FWIresearch.htm

Glynis Shea 612-624-3772 [email protected]

Glynis Shea Communications Coordinator Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health...

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