Information, Education and communication: Campaign


What is campaign?

A campaign is an intensive teaching activity undertaken at an opportune moment for a brief period, focussing attention in a concerted manner towards a particular problem so as to stimulate the widest possible interest in the community. Campaign methods can be used only after an advocated practice is found acceptable to the local people through method or result demonstrations or other extension methods.

Advantages:

  1. A maximum number of people can be reached , in the quickest time possible in introducing a simple practice.
  2. Gives quick results at lower costs.
  3. Successful campaigns create conductive atmosphere for popularising other methods.
  4. Builds up community confidence.
  5. This is advantageous with respect to certain practices, which are effective only when the entire community adopts time.
Limitations:
  1. It is advantageous only when all practicipants co-operare in the campaign.
  2. Cannot be adopted when the advocated practice involves complicated technicalities.
  3. Involves thorough preparation and close association of technical agencies, concerted efforts of the all related agencies.
  4. It is applicable to only a few topics.
How to organize a campaign:
  1. Planning
    1. Find out the local need.
    2. Consult local 1eaders and agencies.
    3. Consult specialists.
    4. Ensure technical services and supplies.
    5. Select a period suitable to the community, announce the dates well in advance and build up the enthusiasm of the people.
  2. Conducting
    1. Work through the 1ocal leaders.
    2. Work as per plan.
    3. Watch the campaign closely and throughout.
    4. Ensure that failures are eliminated.
  3. Follow-up
    1. Make individual contacts and find out the reactions.
    2. Find out the failures and analyse.
    3. Give publicity to the successful campaign and the leaders responsible.
some suggestions:
  1. Plan the campaign on the basis of real need, found through a study of conditions and a study of agency policy.
  2. A thorough knowledge of the community and its leaders is an important prerequisite.
  3. Secure an able chairman and central committee. Dynamic leaders can be found. It is found to work with them. The health educator should be in the position of helping others instead of putting on his own show.
  4. The central committee should organise carefully with appropriate sub-committees.
  5. Avoid centering an impossible number of details on one person. Get radio and newspaper people on the publicity sub-committee.
  6. Estimate carefully the number of things which can be done successfully. Do not fee1 that you have to use every known device. The list of possible devices and tools is long. It includes:
1. announcements 19. maps
2. bill boards 20. motion pictures
3. books 21. news stories
4. bulletins 22. pageants
5. charts 23. pamphlets
6. certificates 24. parades
7. contents 25. names(other than radio)
8. demonstrations 26. posters
9. diagrams 27. professional education
10. editorials 28. public meetings
11. essay contents 29. radio
12. exhibits 30. slogans
13. handbills 31. still pictures
14. health mobiles 32. trinkets and souvenirsd
15. journals 34. folk media
16. latern slides 35. group discussions
17. letters 36. home visitors etc.
18. magazines
  1. Plan a calendar indicating in detail when each step of the various activities must be begun and completed.
  2. Try to think in terms of detailed procedure. Take the time needed.
  3. Limit the final intensive campaign for the general public to two or three weeks.
  4. Adjust the plan to changing needs as you go along.
  5. Prepare objectives in brief, simple form, indicating in what respects you want to change the behaviour of the people. Get behaviour objectives for the public into the shortest and simp1est form possible.
  6. Go to key groups first. Carry out professiona1 education before public education. Prepare professional groups for questions which may be asked and new demands which may be made upon them because of the campaign.
  7. Work with organised medicine instead of with individual physicians. Go to your local medical society.
  8. Plan a programme for and within specific groups prior to the publicity campaign. In the intensive campaign for the general public it may be possible to demonstrate some of the accomplishments which individual groups have already made.
  9. Consider community characteristics with respect to culture,superstitions, traditions and social groupings which might alter the programme in certain sections.
  10. Relate your appeal to the basic human wants of the people ( see page, 37).
  11. Organise the whole community effectively. List all the agency groups which should participate. Do not limit participation to one or two groups. Workers count more than publicity. The number of persons who work is more important than the number of words which are written.
  12. Budget the campaign. How much are you going to need, and where are you to get it?
  13. A good statement of basic facts is usually needed.
  14. Campaign workers must be adequately briefed or trained for their particular activity.
  15. We must decide whom to reach, how to reach them and how many times to reach them.
  16. Find some way of measuring the results of your campaign.
  17. Have a worker's meeting after the campaign to review the good and the bad items and learn how to avoid mistakes next time.
  1. Quantity or amount (of limited value) such as
    1. Number of persons reached.
    2. Column inches of newspaper space.
    3. Radio time or number of programmes.
    4. Number of posters, pamphlets, home visits, etc.
  2. Quality of the programme as judged by experts or by people's reaction to the progrflmme through
    1. The appraisal of experts.
    2. Public opinion poll.
    3. House-to-house canvass, etc.
  3. Changes in knowledge.