Flashpoint

FLASHPOINT Kevin M. Burke Eastern District Attorney Museum Place Two East India Square Life Skills Through the Lens of Media Literacy Salem, MA 01970 I 978 745 6610 FLASHPOINT Mission Statement: Media Literacy empowers young people by providing them with the skills they need to become critical consumers of what the media presents thereby making intelligent decisions about what they hear, watch and read. The purpose of FLASHPOINT is to teach media literacy skills to high-risk youth in the juvenile justice system and youth in schools, not only to help young people deconstruct the often violent, unrealistic, and harmful messages of the media, but also to enable them to make more responsible choices in their own lives. The FLASHPOINT curriculum teaches life skills through the lens of media literacy. As this project continues to grow, FLASHPOINT will become a clearinghouse for information related to high-risk youth, life skills and media literacy. This project has also established, as a long term goal, the creation of public/private partnerships to explore the mutual benefits of media literacy education in our respective fields. Year One: The following was accomplished between 6/97 - 7/98 Produced a report summarizing the impact of the media on youth and the benefits of media literacy for young people. Created, developed and produced a 12 session FLASHPOINT curriculum including participant manual and facilitator guidebook with accompanying educational and promotional videos. Created an advisory board comprised of experts in the fields of criminal justice, education and media literacy which met for consultation three times during the first year of the project. Pilot tested the curriculum with three populations: Juvenile Diversion, Juvenile Probation and youth in the custody of the Department of Youth Services. Year Two: "Training of Trainers" across the state for Juvenile Probation, Department of Youth Services, Department of Public Health Youth Program providers and other state agency staff. With Grant Money From U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance