The term prosocial in media relates to the use of media to communicate socially helpful topics. Stories using media like audio and video distributed in a strategic manner using social media platforms that may address issues as basic as child spacing, clean water, nutrition, literacy, women’s rights – the list goes on and on.
Handclasp has specialized in using dramatic formats to tell stories of change using social behavior theories and approaches like entertainment-education. This section will seek to address some Handclasp projects that deal with these areas.
Sabina’s Encounter Film – Researched, wrote and produced a 40 minute film titled Sabina’s Encounter (SE). SE is the first of a series of African films dealing with cultural issues like barrenness, inter-tribal marriage, aids, sex outside of marriage, etc. SE has been shown on television across Africa to wide acclaim.
One Binge Video Drama – This is a story of a 18-year-old African American college student (Clarissa – Jayda Williams) whose life revolves around the next party. Several times two loyal friends (Ethan Tejedor and JaMarkis Daniels) try to get her to clean up her life, “drinking and drugs are not your friends, you’re messed up for real,” says one of them.
A Healthy Step Film – An entertainment-education eight minute broadcast quality video originally for integrated distribution on mobile cinema vans in Kenya. Because of the cancellation of the cinevan project by the donor, the film has been used in free distribution to television stations in Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Swaziland.
Never Too Late Dramatic Audio Drama – Using the medium most used by Thai people, local radio, this dramatic radio project reached all 76 provinces of Thailand with felt need messages in dramatic format. Topics for the series of 25-minute dramas were chosen based on research, addressing problems within Thai society deemed problematic by Thais – debt, budgeting, AIDS/HIV, raising children, husband-wife relationships. It resulted in many letters some of which say the NTL is the only radio drama that deals with family issues!
Little Fish in a Big Pond Graphic Novel – This is an English/Mandarin graphic novel about two students from a small Chinese village who attend the same huge Chinese university. You can purchase Vol One and Two on Amazon.
