Attendees to the Bogotá, Colombia workshop, give their full attention to WLF trainer Jorge Alday.
Jorge Alday and I, we leave our home cities, New York and Mexico, to go to Bogotá, Colombia. It would be our first time in Colombia, and that gave us a feeling of curiosity and excitement. Jonathan Romo, from The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Mexico, was with us too, as a guest speaker.
Twenty-five participants, from NGOs, government, prestigious universities, and several journalists from diverse groups, attended the WLF PR and mass media workshop. Our objective was to transmit the principles of developing a mass media campaign, including the development of a communications strategy, the plan and design of campaign evaluation, and media buying, among others. The workshop also focused on PR: how to work with the media and how to write a press release.
The group was very active and motivated; they shared their experiences, they asked questions, and they always wanted more and deeper information. Exercises were used to support the theory and helped the participants to have a better understanding of mass media campaigns and public relations. To that end, they wrote a sample press release, interviewed each other on tape, and then we watched the interviews the next day for a constructive feedback session from the whole group. We left Bogotá very pleased knowing WLF could contribute to the cause, providing tools to governments and NGOs about how to develop effective PR and mass media campaigns for tobacco control and other public health areas.
Claudia
Cedillo
Communication Specialist-Mexico
World Lung Foundation