UGRAD Alumni Use Social Marketing to Stop Smoking Among Youth in Georgia

An IREX continuing education course on social marketing prompted a group of Georgian alumni from the Eurasian Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD) to launch an anti-smoking campaign targeting youth. Using social marketing tools that combine education and elements of advertising, the group led educational presentations and initiated public awareness campaigns through several elementary schools around Georgia.

By focusing on sixth to tenth graders, who haven’t yet started to smoke, but remain at-risk, the alumni group sought to catch them before they start.

At Niko Nikoladze School in Poti, Mikheil Urushadze (UGRAD ’05) and a volunteer friend first evaluated the level of seventh graders’ knowledge about smoking. “Most of the students were against smoking, but didn’t know what the specific problems with smoking were.” Using statistical information, the team explained the impact of smoking and second-hand smoke.

“After the presentation I’m scared a little bit,” said Gigi Aroshidze, a seventh grade student in Gori. “I had no idea what it practically meant to smoke a single cigarette.”

On the artistic side, Ketevan Vatiashvili (UGRAD ’05), Keti Darakhvelidze (UGRAD ’04), Tinatin Tsereteli (UGRAD ’05) made presentations and then followed with a poster-making activity and contest. Each student created an advertisement about why smoking is bad. One winning poster will be selected from each city and then posted around that student’s city, to encourage its citizens not to smoke.

Maia Iosava (UGRAD ’04) worked with students at A. Razmadze School # 41 in Kutaisi. Amateur painters designed pictures and slogans to prevent people from smoking or to help them to give it up. Being football fans, many used the image of a healthy football player with a ball, as athletes are less likely to smoke.

“We could see from the reactions of class, that they have learned something new; their active involvement and discussion demonstrated their interest in the topic.” In the end, kids asked the alumni to organize such events as often as possible.