Health and Wellbeing
Milk It Secondary School Advertising Awards
The National Dairy Council has launched a new second level educational programme entitled Milk It. A national survey has revealed that 42% and 23% of Irish teenage girls and boys (13-17yrs) respectively had inadequate calcium intakes*. As a result, our aim is to educate students on the health and nutritional benefits of milk and dairy products in an innovative and educational way.
* Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance. National Teens’ Food Survey (2008).
What is Milk It?
Milk It is an awareness programme involving the creativity and might of students to communicate with fellow teens. Students will be given important health and nutritional information and asked to plan an innovative advertising and marketing campaign for teens. It’s not a time-consuming or lengthy project, but as it’s recommended that teenagers consume up to five portions of dairy each day, it is an important one. Finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their projects to a high profile judging panel including: Richard Curran, presenter of Dragons’ Den and Deputy Editor of the Sunday Business Post; Professor Damien McLoughlin of UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School; Dietitian Paula Mee; Shay Keany, Chief Executive of ZenithOptimedia and Brian Swords, President of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland.
Students can be as creative as they like in their plan – the possibilities and opportunities are endless! So how does it benefit students and teachers? The topics and themes covered are highly relevant for the teaching of a range of subjects including Home Economics, English, Business Studies, Art and Music. It would also be an ideal CSPE or Transition Year project incorporating many elements of the hidden curriculum, such as team work, self-directed learning and critical thinking.
What do teams need to cover?
Products
Teams need to decide which dairy product to focus their campaign on; it can be milk, cheese, yogurt, yogurt drinks or any combination of these products.
Research
Teams need to know what they are dealing with: the brief, the client, the target market and the media.
Creative
Teams will need to decide on a message and brainstorm how to communicate that message creatively. What’s the single most important thing you want to say? What are the reasons to believe in your campaign?
Campaign
Teams will have to put their research and creative ideas together and come up with a plan of action for an advertising
campaign. Keep your eyes on the Prize!
Overall Winner
Each member of the Overall Winning team will win a fantastic Apple iPad and an NDC Milk It trophy!
Junior Category
The winning team will receive €600 worth of vouchers.
Senior Category
The winning team will receive €600 worth of vouchers.
What supports are in place?
All registered schools will receive a full project pack containing detailed information, support materials and resources to help teachers and students get started on the project. Our project staff will be on hand to offer advice and there is a dedicated project website and hotline for students.
How do I find out more?
Simply check out the NDC Milk It website www.milkitawards.ie for more information or contact the NDC Milk It Project Office on 01-522 4835 and register your interest. We will send you a project pack with all the necessary information. Registration for the awards is now open. The closing date for initial submissions is 30th November 2010.
www.milkitawards.ie
The School Milk & Dairy Programme
For almost a quarter of a century, the EU-subsidised School Milk and Dairy Programme has provided a very affordable, year-round supply of milk to pupils in Montessori, National and Secondary schools. The programme is recognised as a valuable way of ensuring that Irish children and teenagers benefit from this nutritious drink, which is also great value for money. Only pupils at participating schools can benefit from EUsubsidised School Milk, so we would encourage your school to register for the School Milk and Dairy Programme so that your pupils can benefit. To register your school or to receive a free School Milk Information Pack, please contact the National Dairy Council:
Telephone: 01- 290 2451 - Website: www.schoolmilk.ie - Email: schoolmilk@ndc.ie
Did you know?
A portion of milk (189ml) provides 19% of the Irish RDA for calcium for those aged 11-17 years.
Nutri-Myth of the month
Myth: Calcium requirements during the teenage years do not change.
Fact: Between the ages of 11-17years, the Irish Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for calcium increases to 1200mg/day compared to 800mg/day during childhood and adulthood. Therefore, to help achieve this increased requirement, teenagers should aim for five portions of dairy per day.
If you have any suggestions or ideas, we would be delighted to hear from you via email at feelinggood@ndc.ie or write to us at The National Dairy Council, Innovation House, 3 Arkle Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18.
Don't miss our October feature ‘Bone Health - A Skeleton is for Life, not just for Halloween!’ - available online from Monday 25 October, 2010
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