Peer Health and Media Education (PHAME)

Whether the topic is nutrition and obesity, alcohol use, depression or violence, the health and well-being of all young people is inextricably tied to media. Studies have shown that media can profoundly influence physical and mental health, consumerism and social behavior of youth.

The Peer Health and Media Education Program (PHAME) was designed as a way to use media as an exciting vehicle to engage youth in the subject of health and to stimulate positive choices around youth health issues with the belief in the power of role modeling and the effectiveness of peer to peer education.

PHAME was piloted at Balboa High School in San Francisco, with students in Peer Resources with support by The California Endowment. Students in the pilot program (conducted both in-school and after school) designed and led a school-wide survey of their peers to determine the top health issues at the school and prioritize their media topics. Throughout the year, the students participated in media literacy activites and intensive media production training. They produced original media pieces that addressed these top health issue and were used in peer-led presentations, including a workshop on violence for the National Service Learning Conference.

Find out how to bring PHAME to your classroom or organization with these lesson plans:

Creating Counter-ads
Peer Health
Media Literacy

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Family Media Forum