CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. Paul D. Edison-Swift, director for resource information and networks, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) Department for Communication, was one of a dozen media literacy educators invited by White House officials to attend the "Roundtable on Faith, Media Literacy and Youth Drug Prevention" Aug. 30 at the White House Conference Center, Washington, D.C.
The roundtable was part of the National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. It brought together professionals in media literacy and faith to engage in conversation about youth drug prevention and media literacy, and develop recommendations for the campaign.
"It is my hope that, with some high-quality materials, staff and congregations [of the ELCA] can make a significant contribution toward helping our young people be more media-literate consumers, especially when it comes to decoding and resisting media messages related to illicit drug use," said Edison-Swift.
Participants were charged with providing advice on media literacy issues related to faith-based organizations; offering input on best practices and relevant knowledge on existing faith-based media literacy programs; recommending strategies to promote media literacy education specific to drug-prevention; providing suggestions on integrating drug prevention into existing faith media literacy programs; and assessingi United States who have confi curriculum, training and other needs for expanding illicit-drug-focused media literacy in faith settings.
"Faith-based organizations have advantages that make them well- suited for the task of teaching media literacy specific to substance abuse prevention," Edison-Swift said. Media literacy is a "neutral tool" with which faith groups can teach their own values, providing youth leaders an adaptable framework for values education, he said.
"There's a lot of press around faith-based initiatives in the current U.S. administration. In this case, there is a clear sense of partnership and interest in influencing the lives of young people by building on the strong values education already present in the youth programs run by faith organizations," he said.
A goal of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is to educate and enable youth to reject illegal drugs. The campaign contends that "a media literacy approach to drug prevention will allow faith leaders to express anti-drug and other positive values to youth in a supportive, flexible educational environment."
"I'm excited about the prospect of promoting some materials targeted to youth ministry workers, and the prospects of introducing media literacy resources and activities that help focus attention on youth drug abuse prevention to our churches. Frankly, we need a new hook to help with introducing media literacy training in more of our congregations, and helping prevent illicit drug use among our young people," said Edison-Swift.
Edison-Swift has led media literacy courses for high school students. He serves as president of the 8,000-member Ecunet, Inc., a non-profit consortium of faith groups using computer conferencing for group communication and ministry. He also serves on the board of the National Training Center for Resource Center Directors, an ecumenical effort to provide intensive seminars and professional certification for resource center staff. Edison-Swift directs the ELCA Resource Information Service and oversees content and design of the church's Web site -- http://www.elca.org/ -- which now serves about 1 million visitors a month.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
