The Harmony Institute will be releasing a slate of projects that work to effectively integrate behavioral science into entertainment narratives, all with the ultimate goal of influencing positive social change. This year, the Harmony Institute will tackle the issue of net neutrality, work to endorse community response in setting strong environmental standards, and teach urban youth through online gaming. These projects, and others in development, are made possible through public and private grants, and more importantly, through donations from concerned individuals like you.
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The Harmony Institute has partnered with Free Press, the largest media democracy organization in the U.S., to create Winning The Fight for the Open Internet. It is a free, downloadable communications guide for those from policy, education, advocacy, journalism, media, and entertainment that illustrates the history of the open Internet and the current debate on net neutrality, while offering concise recommendations for communicating the importance of this issue to mainstream entertainment audiences.
The Harmony Institute is currently working with Jennifer Taylor of Specific Pictures to develop an immersive alternate-reality game exploring the themes of her critically-acclaimed documentary New Muslim Cool. The Streets online and social game will be piloted among adolescents based in Pittsburgh, PA and will examine issues facing urban youth, while providing them the opportunity to positively impact their communities. Working together to advance and gain points through both online storytelling and offline actions, players will earn tangible rewards by sharing their personal narratives and becoming involved in their community. Online discussion boards and longitudinal follow-up will measure shifts in attitudes and behaviors around a group of key social concerns including perceptions of personal responsibility, caring for and contributing to one's community, and facing challenges with uncertain outcomes.
