Florida Family Network

What are Fotonoveleas?

Using photographs and dialogue in a balloon format is our fotonoveleas way to tell “the people” stories while educating them on various health-related issues. Our stories are serious, yet entertaining. It’s “their story”, written in their “cultural Language”, using “their images” in a Conversational flow that portrays real-Life situations, issues, or problems. The dialogue is written in a low reading level.

 

Our Methodology

We based our methodology on social activist educator, Pablo Freire who believes that education is people centered, and people controlled with the use of dialogue approach in which everyone participates as equals and co-learners to create social knowledge. Our Healthy Gossip (HG) series is based on the theory that knowledge must become useful to help people to understand their reality and their social dynamics. The aim is to involve learners to change and to make life better for themselves. Our methodology is an educational process directly related to an empowerment process. HG provides the educational tools of individual empowerment

 

The Effectiveness of HG Fotonoveleas

HG is a Call to Action, community action and activity. HG uses visual stimuli in addition to language to overcome language and literacy barriers. It is universal and easily understood. HG mimics real life situations rather than didactic learning and provides a frame of reference for classifying and processing information.

 

The HG series is a versatile educational tool and an alternative approach to effective health literacy and communication. It provides validity that supports the process of empowerment and it increases one’s knowledge base. The versatility of the HG series has been distributed in many areas of health and social services around the state as well as the nation. They are in health departments, juvenile detentions, and high schools and in maternal and child health agencies. HG are used in groups, such as peer groups, women support groups and parenting groups.The HG SeriesCurrently we have the following series, which is based on decreasing infant mortality.Prenatal CarePeriodontal DiseaseDouchingWe are currently in production for printing the above series in Spanish.

 

Healthy Gossip as Teaching –Learning ToolsWe use the HG series because it does the following:

• It gives shape, form, rhythm and voice tothe people’s issues, which becomes their story.

• It provides shared and common socialexperiences, which is very engaging.

• They stimulate discussions and informalconversations.

• HG stimulates participation and buy into change of attitudes, behaviors andbeliefs in health habits.

• HG crosses the literacy barriers to improve thehealth status

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The basic for anyone in learning is the language…establishing an honest dialogue. We are giving the people their voice.

 

 

For More Information on the HG Series

To obtain additional information about the HG series, you may email Sokoya Finch @ email: Sokoya.finch@gmail.com, or complete the contact sheet. Healthy Gossip is copyrighted and a production of Florida Family Network, Inc. and Big Bend Rural Health Network. If you chose to use our work, please give proper credit.