Media Savvy will help participants develop a deeper understanding of media impact on choices, mental health; how AI will shape the future of social media and the role of personal storytelling.
Whether you're part of the prevention workforce, represent an organization, coalition, or a member at the grassroots level this event will help build your knowledge base.
DATE/TIME:
August 20th: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
August 21st: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
LOCATION
Kansas City, Missouri - Intercontinental Hotel
There is no cost to register and the PTTC will cover hotel accommodations and parking for residents from Mid-America (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska)
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List of Current Presentations
Addressing a Vital Intersection: Social Media, Mental Health, and Substance Use
Presenter: Rikki Barton
There are a lot of bright spots to social media - it connects us, makes us laugh, introduces us to new ideas, and provides support. But there is a dark side that creates a toxic combination for youth, revealing vulnerabilities which can lead to drug use and mental health challenges. This session will explore those vulnerabilities and discuss the importance of prevention work intersecting in the online space. Participants will learn specifically what puts youth at higher risk, identify various protective factors that buffer the risk factors, and develop skills to have conversations with youth about the dangers of social media in order to improve the choices, mental health and wellbeing of youth in their life.
The Future – Social Media, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Wellness & Youth High-Risk Behavior
Presenter: Peter Komendowski
We will explore the dynamic processes related to traffic on the internet, the social and anti-social content, and strategies for avoiding pitfalls when engaging media that targets prevention and intervention populations.
Followed by a discussion of “The Future,” as a predictable landscape shrouded in mystery as well as a result of deliberate actions in the realm of media interaction and influence.
Preparing to Work with Various Media Outlets: Context, Strategy, Tips and Confidence
Presenter: Dr. David Anderson
This session is part of a conference for coalition and other prevention workforce individuals designed to provide insight and skills surrounding media-related strategies with drug and alcohol misuse prevention. The session will be both conceptual and hands-on, with practical examples and strategies designed to aid participants be more effective with their messaging and impactful with their audiences.
Storytelling and the Organizational Message Map
Presenter: Farrah Fite
What makes your officers and volunteers an effective spokesperson for their organization? Preparation and practice! A seasoned communications expert with legislative, nonprofit and association advocacy experience will describe effective storytelling techniques and will guide attendees in the creation of a message map to help you flourish as an ambassador for your organization’s value and impact.
Music! Does it Move Our Choices?
Presenter: Steve Miller
Music is all around us, and we hear it all the time, but do we really listen? Words and melodies are an instrumental part of our lives but do they influence choices. For most people the discovery of music and how it fits into our personality begins during adolescents, but what if how we decipher song meaning has an impact on the rest of our lives? Whether you like country, rock or rap, this presentation will have you movin’ and groovin’. No matter what generational-gap you fall into, you’ll have a new understanding about the impact of lyrics and the meaning of music to the soundtrack in our lives.
Media Literacy and the Preservation of Democracy – Civil Rights and AI enhance Media Literacy for Health Outcomes among Youth – Health Messaging
Presenters: Art Silverblatt, Ph.D.; Stefan Denson, MLS; Deborah Allen
Media literacy is a critical thinking skill that is applied to the source of most of our information: the channels of mass communication. This discipline is designed to empower individuals to realize an independence from the messages being conveyed through the channels of mass communication.
Media literacy is critical in today's digital age, where media messages are innumerable and often blindly trusted. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has significantly influenced media consumption among youth. In the health field, a young media consumer should have the ability to discern credible health information and access, for example, crucial mental health resources. AI has the potential to enhance media messages by providing personalized, engaging, and effective learning experiences. Applied to these experiences are the impacts and challenges posed by U.S. civil rights laws, for these young people, in the area of privacy, bias, accessibility, transparency, and youth protection in general.
Health messaging is one of the key concerns for those who practice health literacy. It represents a continuum of continuous improvement especially as it relates to how media communicators must constantly refine efforts to understand diverse audiences, and help them communicate with health professionals, families and community. Included in this discussion will be a snapshot on how, following the pandemic, health communications specialists learned how to improve messaging--audio, visual and written.