Collie - a project of the NSW Country Areas Program

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BACKGROUND:

Every day, hundreds of Australian kids start smoking.
Many of these kids continue to smoke into adulthood.
According to the Australian Medical Association, 90 per cent of all adult smokers first lit up as teenagers.

PROBLEM:

The year is 2030.
You have been smoking regularly since the age of thirteen.
As an adult, you smoked two packets of cigarettes per day.
You have now been diagnosed with lung cancer and your doctor says that you have only 12 months to live.

In recent years scientists have invented a time machine which can transport people back in time. Because this technology is extremely expensive to operate, it is controlled by an anti-smoking group of scientists called the Cancer and Medications Education League (CAMEL).

Since you have only a short time to live, you have dedicated your final 12 months of life to preventing teenagers from taking up smoking and falling victim to the tragedy of cancer.

You have volunteered yourself to the CAMEL scientists to be selected as a person to go back in time to prevent teenage smoking. Because of the costs involved, you must prove to the CAMEL group that you are worthy of selection by researching the task below and presenting your findings in a quality manner.

YOUR TASK:

To research why teenagers start smoking
To develop an advertising campaign to discourage teenagers from smoking.

You may choose from:

A poster
An audio cassette suitable for radio advertising
A video tape presentation suitable for TV
A magazine advertisement
A multi-media computer presentation

Your presentation should:

Be specifically designed to target teenagers
Show an understanding of the link between smoking and a variety of health problems (eg cancer, emphysema, gangrene, poor fitness, etc)

WHERE WILL I FIND INFORMATION?

To assist you in developing your presentation, you might like to visit the following sites:

You can also collect information from your local and school library.

POINTS TO CONSIDER:

Keep your message simple.
Target teenagers (not adults). Teenagers do not respond to the same messages as adults.
Use your imagination - be creative.

EVALUATION:

Your research task will be evaluated by how well you:

Demonstrate an understanding of the link between smoking and disease
Specifically target teenagers
Create an imaginative and eye-catching presentation
Show effort and skill in using the medium of your choice to advertise your message