March 18, 2014

Illawarra students design social marketing campaigns to improve wellbeing of classmates

Students from two Illawarra schools have improved the health and wellbeing of their fellow students through a UOW Centre for Health Initiatives’ Healthy Schools program. The program comprised a competition for students to develop a social marketing campaign to address a school-based social or health issue. 

The winners, Warrawong High School and St Mary’s Star of the Sea College, designed campaigns to help their classmates manage money and promote sun safety while being physically active. The Centre for Health Initiatives provided a $2000 grant as well as a mentor to help the winning teams get their projects up and running. 

Warrawong High School Intensive English Centre’s team, design a campaign titled ‘Money Matters’, which aimed to address financial literacy amongst students who are recent arrivals to Australia. The program included weekly literacy lessons, student-led surveys, tracking budgets and saving plans, discussions and role plays of real-world situations and games.  School teacher, Mr Shane Stackhouse, supported the team in developing their campaign.

St Mary’s Star of the Sea College’s year 11 PDHPE class, together with the support of teacher, Mrs Belinda Sparks, ran a campaign titled ‘Fun in the Sun’. This campaign aimed to promote physical activity in the outdoor environment, while protecting students from sun exposure. Students took photos with a Polaroid UV Detect Camera to demonstrate ultraviolet damage to the face, and participated in outdoor fitness classes each week. 

“We received a higher number of quality entries from schools last year and it was difficult to choose the two teams. We would’ve liked to have funded more,” Program coordinator Ms Laura Robinson said.

Centre for Health Initiatives Director, Professor Sandra Jones, said: “Our team enjoyed working with these passionate and committed students as they addressed health and social issues in their school.  We look forward to running the competition again this year, and will call for entries in April.”

Note to media: Students from both schools will present an overview of their campaigns from 12.30 pm on Thursday 20 March 2014 at the Centre for Health Initiatives, ITAMS Building, Innovation Campus. 

Media contact: Program coordinator, Ms Laura Robinson, +61 2 4221 5035 or laurar@uow.edu.au.