This case study of youth involvement in public decision-making is one of several done for Health Canada by the Canadian Association for School Health. To return to the beginning of Selected Case Studies of Youth Involvement in Public Decision-Making click here.

As part of the Tobacco Demand Reduction Strategy of Health Canada (TDRS), the Partnership and Marketing Division of the federal department organized and funded a contest for young people to create advertisements to reduce youth demand for tobacco. The youth participants were solicited by placing ads on Much Music and its French language counterpart, MusiquePlus. Youth were encouraged to phone a 1-800 number and record their ads. 19,000 calls were made in response, with over 10,000 considered to be entries out of a total audience of 3.5 million. The 20 winners, as judged by a youth panel, were given the opportunity to see their ads produced by an ad agency into 20 second ads aimed for movie theatre audiences. The ads were then placed in cinemas by Health Canada. Recall interviews done with audiences exiting those movie theatres show that the audience recalled the content at the same levels as other professionally produced ads. The ads were also placed on Much Music, MusiquePlus and YTV programs for f ive weeks. A random sample telephone survey of youth revealed that over 45% of respondents recalled the ads without help and 89% recalled the ads with help from the interviewers. The majority of respondents liked the ads and found them to be hard-hitting.

This example of youth involvement in decision-making related to media campaign aimed at youth shows that youth are indeed the "experts" in developing relevant advertising ideas. The ads were deemed to be convincing and likable by the sample contacted in the telephone survey. The contest was related to a Youth Forum organized by Health Canada that explored a number of ways for Health Canada to involve youth. Their advice on youth advertising led to the strategy of the contest. The contest is a successful strategy for involving youth in determining the content of youth advertising ads and messages. However, the youth involvement is limited to the content and style of the ads and not necessarily to other aspects of programs and activities aimed at youth to prevent tobacco use. The roles played by youth were limited to respondent (to an ad calling for submissions) for most of the participants. A limited number (20) learned about media production as a reward for their great ideas.

A.     Descriptive Data

The Activity, Contest Process and Purposes were Clearly Described

This was a national contest to involve youth in developing, reviewing and determining youth messages.

It was part of the TDRS strategy to involve youth. Part of focus was on involving youth in social marketing activities. The expected outcomes was to ensure the relevance of ads and marketing aimed at youth.

Senior Staff within Health Canada Initiated the Activity

The contest was initiated by senior staff within Health Canada.

A Short History of Involving YouthLed to the Contest

A Youth Forum on Tobacco was organized the year before the contest. An Youth Advisory Committee on Tobacco was created briefly out of that Forum. This led to involving youth  in a contest to develop messages and ads about tobacco. However, there is no ongoing policy framework for involving youth in the decision-making of Health Canada.

The intended youth audience was all young people in Canada. However, there are likely to be limits to this total audience based on the choices made to work with TV shows (MuchMusic and MisiquePlus) and movie theatres. 8-12 year-olds were the target of ads, the contest was to involve 13-19 year olds. The demographics of youth audience were to be mixed. It was not possible to determine the makeup of the youth leaders or contest winners.

Adequate Resources were Available for the Contest

There was a designated budget and in-house staff for the project. These costs included initial ads on the TV programs, an 800 number, the costs of producing the subsequent ads professionally, the costs of placing ads in movie theatres and on the designated TV shows. No specific resources were needed by the youth to participate and submit an entry. The contest involved contributions from the private sector but did not depend on those contributions.

The Contest is Sustainable as Long as Funds are Available for the Contest

It is likely that a similar number of youth would respond to repeated versions of the contest. It is anticipated that the model will be used again as part of the renewed Tobacco Control Initiative of Health Canada.

B.     Levels of Youth Involvement

The Level of Youth Involvement were Limited

The collective involvement of youth, according to the CMHA definition, was episodic in nature.

There are no plans to add developmental or networking aspects at this time.

The individual involvement was limited to responding to a contest invitation.

C.     The Roles Assigned to Youth

The Roles Assigned to Youth were Limited

Beyond the role of respondent, a limited number of youth acted as judges of the contest winners and the winners had an opportunity to learn about tobacco and media advertising.

Adults initiated the event.

D.     The Quality of the Process

The Short-Term Involvement Restricted the Application of Many Youth Involvement Principles

The participating youth were able to define the issue of smoking in terms that they wished and to submit their ideas. The opinions of the winners was not sought in respect to the operation of the Contest and there was no opportunity for involving youth in other ways in this project.

Some of the Barriers to Youth Participation were Addressed in the Contest Procedures

A variety of young people were contacted by using several media to placed the invitation to participate. The relevancy of the invitation to participate was checked in a focus group and was translated into youth friendly terms by the MC of Much Music. The initial impetus came from the Minister's office so it was supported by Health Canada staff. The shows selected to solicit participation, Much Music and MusiquePlus, are credible with the target audience.

Most of the Enabling Factors Relevant to Youth Participation were not Applicable to the Project

The decision to use an 800 number to make the submissions more convenient to youth and the change in the deadline for submissions were to foster more youth participation. Health Canada staff were assigned to the project and professional advertising consultants were hired. The Contest has given rise to similar programs and projects within the Marketing and Partnerships Division, including a video and CD-ROM project.

Some of the Needs of the Youth Winners were Attended to in the Project

Winners received recognition, in the form of $500, a trip to Vancouver, and their ads being published. The trip to Vancouver to produce the ads had elements of fun built into the activities.

Youth were not really accountable to other youth during this project. Adults assisted the youth in the production of their ads, but there was not a focus on development of skills or long-term goals.

E.     Application of Specific Supports

This example is a derivation of the delegation of a program or service delivery to youth for youth. The artistic direction of the ads were determined by the youth. Although limited in time and scope, the project has had a real impact on the department's thinking about such social marketing in the future.

F.     Evidence of Impact

The leadership skills and awareness of the winners about tobacco was enhanced. Two of the 20 winners announced that they would quit smoking.

The public awareness research done to evaluate the impact of the ads shows that youth audience awareness was increased and that the ads were effective.

The project created awareness programming that was more appropriate for youth. The ads were linked to a web page offering smoking cessation activities and it is planned that there will be more referral linkages from that site in the future. The social support available to youth was enhanced. at least for the time that the ads were playing, insofar as the ads were depicting new role models. Social marketing staff within Health Canada were required to attend workshops on working with youth.

The project has changed the thinking within the Social Marketing Division. There are now several activities underway about youth involvement in social marketing.