Woke; Exploring Gender, Sexual Health and Justice through Narrative Filmmaking

Summary

The use of digital media for sexual health promotion is a rapidly emerging field (Bailey J, Mann S, Wayal S, et al, 2015). Studies from other health care fields utilizing social media have demonstrated positive effects on health outcomes dealing with wellness, obesity, and the management of chronic diseases (Laranjo L, et, al., 2105). Several multi-year NIH research studies have also been launched to engage youth in comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) via social networks, video games, TV shows and computer-based interactive lessons. In 2016, the public health NGO the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES) developed a 60-minute narrative film, Woke, to highlight topics in an evidence-based sexual health intervention that it has been implementing with youth ages 11-18 since 2012. To this date, more than 4000 youth have received CSE through this intervention. The creation of the film coincided with IWES' development of its own trauma-informed, gender transformative curriculum, Creating a Future Together (CrAFT). CrAFT includes a grounding in human rights and allows youth to go beyond typical U.S. evidence-based interventions by including a focus on gender and sexuality, healthy relationships and consent, puberty and anatomy, and mental health. This showcase will include a brief excerpt from the film, a discussion on its development in conjunction with the innovative CrAFT curriculum, and a conversation about how to communicate CSE themes in narrative form (such as gender, equality and human rights) in a manner that is both educational and entertaining.

Background/Objectives

Traditional sex education does not sufficiently meet students' needs, particularly around emotional health, structural barriers to health, wellbeing, and justice. CrAFT is a gender transformative, trauma-informed CSE curriculum for youth aged 11-18 rooted in a human rights framework. It includes lessons on social/emotional health that are illustrated by the film Woke, which was divided into four chapters to augment the curriculum. CrAFT was developed and piloted in New Orleans, Louisiana where individual- and community-level trauma notably impact youth health and decision-making. Woke was created with local youth to reflect their community norms and lived experiences.

Results/Lessons Learned

Through the integration of Woke into the CrAFT curriculum IWES has learned that media created with and featuring the youth that will eventually consume it is the strongest way to engage them. Organizations are rarely able to choose the media included in their curricula and sex education media rarely depicts the true experiences of their priority audiences. This needs to change. IWES has learned that it is important to include realistic storytelling as a key aspect in CSE, especially to explore topics that are hard to address in science-based curricula. For example, staff struggled to find quality, engaging media pieces that showed teenagers engaging in condom negotiation or discussing toxic masculinity, mental health or when to get pregnant. Woke filled that gap. Evaluation data indicate that youth viewers' key learnings include: 1) managing stress; 2) processing feelings; 3) talking through problems; and 4) identifying signs of unhealthy relationships.

Discussion/Implications For The Field

Social and cultural factors are critical when discussing sensitive topics and they should shape media used for promoting sexual health. Woke demonstrates that media can be used effectively in CSE by reflecting the unique experiences of youth while providing medically accurate, site-specific and age appropriate information. Innovative CSE must be scientifically valid, yet avoid falling into a one-size-fits-all approach for young people around the world. Youth culture has arrived at a moment that encourages the exploration of myriad intersections and diverse expressions. CSE curricula should match that diversity, champion it and reflect authentic youth experiences.

Abstract submitted by:

Iman Shervington - Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES)

Lisa Richardson - Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies (IWES)