JOINT CMHA MEDIA CAMPAIGN SCORES!
Article by Charles Silk, Local #17 Communications Officer
*Power Point Media Ad available from csilk@chinooksedge.ab.ca.
Show the ad at your school as part of
Education Week or a meet & greet event.
I recently had the opportunity to help create an ad campaign in support of the CMHA, Canadian Mental Health Association as part of a joint project between Teachers of Chinook's Edge and Red Deer Public schools. We allowed about 4 months planning asnd approval time and the finished ad runs May and June at Carnival Theates in Red Deer. As well, the secretary of our local emailed all school reps a copy to pass on and you can email me for it. The ATA has also expressed interest in publishing an article about the ad. So, go see a movie at Carnival Theatres soon!
For me there are a few key features of the ad that make it work and some thoughts around the idea of the Teachers & Friends logo that I would like to share. First, Vicki worked her magic and was able to use Jesse Wallin who is Head Coach of the Red Deer Rebels as a spokesperson. This was great because a lot of people look up to Jesse. Next, Ami and I were able to commit a reasonably large amount of funding after successfully applying for the Community Relations - CMHA matching grant. And then it all came together under the sogan Teachers & Freinds. I intend to promote this logo a lot more in the future because it proves the point that teachers are in passionate partners at the heart of community. We do make a difference, and hey, we do have friends! In fact, I have approval to use it with the Central Alberta Multiple Sclorosis Society for their MS RIDE and other events next year and hope to print decals and bumper stickers. As you know, the more stickers you print, the cheaper they get. Right now, my local budget is running short for this type of thing. So, feel free to talk to your local and see if they would be interested in getting in on this bumer sticker campaign. Oh yes, I quite serious about this, in a fun way. You can also join my bycycle team and we can have a provice wide Teachers & Friends team!
There are about 600 TFE Chinook's Edge teachers who teach 10,000 students at over 40 schools in Central Alberta. We take in River Glenn school in Red Deer, and go as far as Carstairs and Cremona to the south. Sylvan Lake forms our western boundary, and we go east to take in Elnora school. 
