Unit 31 focuses on social action and community media, emphasizing their purpose and impact, with learning outcomes revolving around research, planning, and production. The unit requires a presentation, a research blog, campaign production, and an evaluation of the completed work, highlighting the educational and awareness-raising aspects of social action. Key distinctions from community media are addressed, along with the role of public service broadcasting in informing and educating the public on social issues.

1. Unit 31 Social Action and
Community Media
INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT AND THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE UNIT AND GAIN
AN UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL ACTION AND COMMUNITY MEDIA.

2. Learning Outcomes
1. Understand the purpose and impact of social action and community
media production work
2. Be able to research for social action and community media production
work
3. Be able to plan and produce a piece of social action or community
media production work
4. Be able to reflect upon own social action or community media
production work

3. Tasks to be completed
1. A presentation discussing Social Action and Community Media with
reference to three examples.
2. A research blog where you will include all the information you have
gathered for your production
3. The production of your campaign which will include the completed
video campaign a poster and all the production paperwork
4. An evaluation of your completed production which will be 1000-1500
words.

4. What is Social Action?
 It uses media as a creative tool to increase public knowledge and
awareness (educational)
 Sets out to analyse current social issues and problems and bring to public
attention.
 Encourages people to take action in response to what they have seen or
heard.
Example

5. What is Community Media?
Unlike Social Action that we often associate with large scale national and
international companies community action campaigns are mostly centred
around smaller local communities. Combating issues that have affected
that particular community.
Example 1

6. Similarities and differences
 What are the similarities and differences between Social Action and
Community Media?
Consider;
 Finances (budget, scale etc)
 Representation
 Target audiences
 Emotions evoked
 Types of company/communities involved

7. What is it’s purpose?
 To bring about local, national or global change
 To change attitudes
 To raise awareness
 To create access to media production for non-traditional groups
 To challenge dominant representations and agendas
 To create or strengthen community ties
 To provide information
 To campaign (work in an organized and active way towards a goal)
 To change voting behaviour
 To infiltrate mainstream media
 To build relationships with subjects

8. PSB: Public Service Broadcasting
In the UK the term "public service broadcasting" refers to
broadcasting which is intended for the public and will benefit rather
than for purely commercial concerns. The communications regulator
Ofcom requires that certain television and radio broadcasters fulfill
certain requirements as part of their license to broadcast. All of the
BBC's television and radio stations have a public service remit,
including those that broadcast digitally.
To Inform, Educate and Entertain.
A lot of social action media can be linked with PSB; as a way of both
informing and educating their audience on different issues.

9. Task:
Can you think of any examples of social action media? Try to think of three
examples and write them down.

10. Task: Analysis of SAM
We’ll look at the following clips and images.
 Which of the list of purposes apply?
 What is this media form trying to tell us/make us do?
 What emotional techniques do you think they have used and why?

11. Avaaz.org

16. What techniques have these videos
used?
Campaign 1
Campaign 2
Campaign 3
Campaign 4
Campaign 5
Campaign 6

17. What have we learned?
Name two things you have learned today?
Do you understand the first task you need to complete?
Do you have any questions?