In response to calls for better education and information in the wake of the recent series of student suicides at New York University, Alex Rivera, an NYU film student, has proposed a video production addressing those issues. As a participant in Peers as a high school student, Rivera felt the highly effective student-to-student approach used in Peers programs would be an ideal medium for this topic.  The satellite-linked distribution system developed for Peers would assure a broad audience for this important program.

Rivera and his fellow students from NYU’s renowned Tisch School of the Arts, wrote, produced, edited and appeared in the production. Using NYU’s experience as an example, they will probe the reasons for and responses to college student signs of depression and campus suicides.  The show will combine an original screenplay and drama with student and expert discussions on understanding depression and preventing student suicides.  Its content will explore the contributing factors to student suicides, as well as the resources that students have to find help in avoiding or dealing with those factors. In addition to the drama interviews of students and faculty members address the issue of depression. Daniel Howard a sophomore at Claflin University in South Carolina and an Emmy Award winning documentarian also contributed to this piece.

Samantha Sklaar, another Peers alumni, was concerned enough about Binge Drinking on college campuses she decided to do what she does best. Together with classmate Andrew Spieler, both juniors at the State University of New York at Purchase, they produced a documentary piece on a realistic look at Binge drinking.

The completed show will be marketed to television stations and student audiences nationwide, using the Peers model.  Up linking the program to satellite will allow live showings at multiple downlink locations that could reach thousands of students immediately, with replays of the recorded program playing to a potential audience of millions of viewers across the nation.

Student-to-student communication has long been the basis for successful Peers projects.  This highly effective communication channel will appeal to students on a level that adult programming cannot approach.  Combining the skills of students in one of the nation’s foremost film schools with their ability to communicate with their peers provides a winning approach to addressing a growing problem.

 This production will increase viewers’ sensitivity to the factors that contribute to student suicides and raise awareness of what viewers can do to minimize these factors and respond to the needs of at-risk students.  Greater sensitivity and awareness will enable viewers to better understand, recognize and help troubled students.  In addition, at-risk students will become more aware of resources they have to help themselves.

 By providing this program to stations across the country we can reach a wider audience, but we also hope to foster discussions, panels and special events that are keyed to the same message.  Past Peers programs have reached live audiences of nearly 10,000 at downlink sites at the time of broadcast and more than 27,000 for tape-delay events at down link sites.

The audience viewing this program would be located across the country in the areas served by the downlink points. Past Peers programs have reached more than 1,300 sites, serving a population of more than 40 million viewers. In addition, most PBS stations in New York State, as well as Public Access Channels use the program.

The marketing effort for this project will focus on colleges and areas with high student populations.

 Description of Population Served

The video medium and satellite distribution are the ideal means for providing this powerful message to a geographically diverse population. The primary focus of this program will be college students across the country. Key audiences include parents of college-age children, as well as educators--the adults who interact most closely with students.