[November 23, 2009] Berkeley Media Studies Group, Prevention Institute Honored for Creating Web Site to Promote Shared Use of Gyms, Playgrounds Tweet OAKLAND, Calif., Nov 23, 2009 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- BerkeleyMedia Studies Group and Prevention Institute have won a prestigious award for together creating an interactive Web site, http://www.jointuse.org/ , that promotes the shared use of play facilities by schools and communities to increase opportunities for children and adults to be active. The Society for New Communications Research in San Jose recently presented its 2009 Excellence in New Communications Awards, which honor pioneers in the use of social media, mobile media, online communities and collaborative technologies. "Jointuse.org is an impressive example of the successful and innovative use of new tools, technologies, solutions and practices to enhance communications and relationships," commented Jen McClure, founder and president of the society. Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG), a program of the Public Health Institute that is located in Berkeley, and the Oakland-based Prevention Institute were honored in the collaboration and co-creation category for nonprofits. The new Web site gives much-needed visibility to the idea of joint use of spaces - such as playgrounds, athletic fields and gymnasiums - being opened to the community before and after school hours as a way to increase options for exercise and improve health. BMSG and Prevention Institute also created the site as a way for the California Joint Use Task Force to enhance communication, pool resources and work together online to advocate for joint use. Additionally, the two organizations opened Facebook and Twitter accounts to increase the site's presence on the Internet. Launched in June 2009, the Web site is intended to build momentum for more schools and communities to share spaces. Previously, resources on joint use had been scattered on the Web and hard to find; http://www.jointuse.org/ consolidates the best resources in one convenient, easy-to-use location. The site provides spaces for young people to document why they need joint use, for experts to collaborate on best practices, and for people new to the issue to get information and connect with those who can help them develop joint use agreements. "The site is all about collaboration," said Lori Dorfman, director of Berkeley Media Studies Group. "Building the site required collaboration among members of the task force, and joint use itself brings out the best in collaboration between schools, communities and the people who live there. Our goal is to see joint use everywhere kids don't already have places to play." BMSG and Prevention Institute's work in creating jointuse.org was supported by The California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation. About the Public Health Institute The Public Health Institute (PHI), an independent nonprofit organization based in Oakland, California, is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. PHI's primary methods for achieving these goals include: sharing evidence developed through quality research and evaluation; providing training and technical assistance; and promoting successful prevention strategies to policymakers, communities and individuals. For more information, visit http://www.phi.org/ . About Berkeley Media Studies Group Berkeley Media Studies Group was founded in 1993 to help public health advocates make their voices heard in a powerful public forum - the news - and increase their participation in the democratic process. Public health groups come to BMSG when they want to work more effectively with journalists, and journalists come to BMSG when they are interested in deepening their reporting on public health issues. BMSG has worked with community groups, foundations, government and news organizations across the country on a range of public health issues, including affirmative action, affordable housing, alcohol, child care, childhood lead poisoning, children's health, health disparities, nutrition and activity, sexually transmitted disease, tobacco, tuberculosis, and violence and injury prevention. BMSG's publications are available at http://www.bmsg.org/ . About Prevention Institute Prevention Institute is a nonprofit national center based in Oakland, California, that is dedicated to improving community health and well-being and is recognized as one of the nation's leading experts on prevention. For more information, visit http://www.preventioninstitute.org/ . About the Society for New Communications Research Located in San Jose, California, the Society for New Communications Research is a global nonprofit research and education foundation dedicated to the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications, and their effect on traditional media and business models, communications, culture and society. For more information, visit http://sncr.org/ . - - - - ((AScribe - The Public Interest Newswire / http://www.ascribe.org)) [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]