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What We Do
Our Projects
 Irons in the Fire
 Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs
    Interactive Tobacco and Alcohol Marketing
    Buck Tobacco Sponsorship
 Food and Activity
    Food Marketing in the News and on the Web
    Communities Creating Healthy Environments (C-CHE)
    Digital Food and Beverage Marketing
    National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO)
    Healthy Eating Active Communities
    Rapid Response Media Network
    The Advertising Story
    Mapping the Debate on Food
    Accelerating Progress on Obesity
 Children's Issues
    Family Assets Initiative
    Paid Family Leave
    Raising Voices for Children's Health
    Talking About Child Care
 Other Public Health Issues
    Working Upstream
    Communicating for Change
    Partnership for the Public's Health
    Plan for Controlling Tuberculosis
 Violence Prevention & Injury Control
    Framing Violence Among Youth (UNITY)
    Strengthening the Debate
    Reporting on Violence
    Violence Prevention Initiative
Publications
Current Funders & Clients
About BMSG
Tools For Advocates
Communicating for Change
Client: The California Endowment

In April 2006, The California Endowment launched the Center for Healthy Communities as a venue for mobilizing community and civic leaders, health providers, advocates, and policymakers to advance community health. Core to the Center’s mission is the Health ExChange Academy, a series of capacity building trainings designed to strengthen the skills of leaders across California. BMSG has been commissioned to develop the Center’s training on strategic communications.

Media Advocacy Training Curriculum
As part of this effort, BMSG created the Communicating for Change training curriculum which teaches public health leaders how to engage the news media strategically to advance community health. Through our dynamic, interactive training modules participants explore the role of the news media in shaping public health policy debates and learn to reframe issues to include public health values and environmental solutions.

Each of the seven modules focuses on core skills such as developing a strategic media plan, crafting an effective frame and message, gaining attention in the news, and successfully working with journalists. The curriculum is illustrated with examples of media advocacy work from advocates pursuing public health improvements on issues such as obesity, asthma, violence prevention, reducing health disparities and increasing health care access.

Participants practice what they learn through role-playing, small-group exercises, and, in advanced trainings, on-camera interviews. BMSG’s trainings are designed to build participant skills in thinking strategically about creating healthy communities, speaking and writing effectively, and crafting solid policy-oriented answers to difficult questions.

Launched in the fall of 2006, the media advocacy training curriculum is offered to The Endowment's grantees at the Center for Healthy Communities in Los Angeles as well as at The California Endowment’s regional offices.

Click here for a summary of the seven Communicating for Change training modules.

 

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