Media Involvement

Many people aren't truly aware of a problem until they experience it directly. Even then, unless they pay special attention to the problem, they may only have a vague sense of it. In this context, creating awareness means bringing people's focus to an issue in a way that both illuminates the situation and gives direction for solutions.

Target Your Message
The best approach for creating awareness depends on the target audience. In terms of messages, those directed at the public at large, will necessarily be general. But the more specific the audience, the more tailored the message can be.

For instance, a community-wide message on safe routes to school might deal with the importance of kids getting exercise and some of the barriers that stand in the way. At the other end of the spectrum, parents of kids at a specific school may be concerned with the particular hazards that make their children's walk-to-school experience dangerous. The message that will move them is one that focuses on increased safety.

In terms of communication approaches, a community's media outlets may be good for broadly distributing general messages. In addition, different parts of a community may need different messages and approaches. For instance, there may be a large Latino community, requiring the development of Spanish-language messages that resonate with the community. And low-income neighborhoods would likely need different messages than middle-income areas. The former may be typified by deteriorating streets and high traffic volumes while the latter may feature disconnected streets and long distances between destinations.

Use Personal Contacts As Well
Groups like PTAs and neighborhood associations should be visited personally. These may be good places to enlist volunteers for the overall effort. You should also personally visity with key people such as your city's engineer, influential elected officials, and community opinion leaders.

Strategies may include sponsoring a workshop and walking tour with parents and experts. Direct experience of how things are "on the ground" can help get the message across forcefully enough to spur those in charge into action.

Using a mixture of communication strategies will help raise awareness of your issue, but it will also help with recruiting volunteers to your effort. And, while using a variety of communication approaches with the varying audiences is necessary, the basic message, itself, must be consistent across the entire campaign.