Ask Yourself:
School Health Program Video at Harlem Hospital Center

New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation at Harlem Hospital Center (HHC) invited CMI to create a 40-minute educational video to highlight and discuss eight risk behaviors (drugs & marijuana use, birth control, abstinence and pregnancy prevention, tobacco use, conflict resolution, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, alcohol abuse and gang violence) of adolescents.

Review and distribute to the CMI team, the research on how to better convey HHC curriculum information or promote behavioral change.

Through writing, research, analysis and planning, quickly teach students the basics of film/video making; camera angles, shot types, lighting, location planning, etc. that would enable them to fully participate in the production of the film.

CMI was the overall production manager and producer of the video, providing narration using 21 peer educator teens. CMI provided music and sound effects for this realistic educational tool for the School Health Program based on real-life situations dealt with by teens. CMI interviewed 21 peer educator teens including questions related to the development of the script, that the teens helped write. It became an awareness tool advocating for the School Health Program at Harlem Health Center to reach teen audiences as well as lay community on the dynamics of the eight risk behaviors and their reactions to them. The video covered the following areas:

  • Organizations involved in counseling adolescents
  • Outside agencies available to provide assistance and other support organizations
  • Organizations involved in assisting family members in the long-term to deal with the eight risk behaviors and where to find help
  • Teaching the audience about what to say and what not to say to adolescents exhibiting the risk behaviors.

These topics benefit from the interaction within a classroom where students can discuss, collaborate, solve problems, and role-play. By limiting the content that has to be taught face-to-face, we can maximize the quality of the instruction in all areas and minimize the cost in time and money for ourselves, our learners and their organizations.

Also, some of our staff are adjunct instructors at schools in the communities where they live and work.