Made By Youth

Media

01 News

Smoke Screen 2 Project


MEDIA ADVISORY

Multicultural youth launch innovative Anti-smoking TV ad campaign February 4th

For Immediate Release

January 30, 2006

Vancouver. A cutting–edge TV ad campaigns hits the airwaves February 4th. The target? Smoking. The creative team? A group of 16 dynamic Lower Mainland youth – with truly global perspectives. Originating from Colombia, Korea, Taiwan, Argentina, Malaysia and half a dozen other countries, they represent the cutting–edge of Canada’s burgeoning multicultural scene.

“These youth–produced ads are as creative and engaging as any big budget corporate commercial – but they cost relatively little to make,” says Deblekha Guin, Project Coordinator for the Access to Media Education Society (AMES).

“The fact is, new immigrants now make up over 37% of the Lower Mainland’s population,” says Guin. “But the number of health–promotion campaigns targeting new immigrant youth is woefully inadequate.” Smoke Screen is one of a long series of AMES projects involving messages created by precisely the people they are intended to reach.

She adds that the project is based on a large body of youth–led opinion research involving 200 immigrant youth from the greater Vancouver area. The research found that nearly 12% of newcomer youth smoke. Why? To cope with stress, look cool, fit in, and appear more grown up.

Beginning with a launch event at Vancouver’s east–side Gallery Gachet on February 4th, the ads will be broadcast to millions of B.C. living rooms on prime–time programs ranging from “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” to “Hockey Night in Canada.”

“These ads come from the bottom of our lungs”, says Jamie Perry, one of the ad creators. “These ads are universal––anyone from any country will understand them... it’s just a question of whether they will be brave enough to do anything about it.”

Smoke Screen2: Through the Eyes of New Canadians is an initiative of AMES , the Immigrant Services Society of BC and The Gulf Islands Film and Television School (GIFTS) with funding from Health Canada.

Where:
Gallery Gachet (www.gachet.org), 88 East Cordova Street (1 block north of East Hastings between Columbia & Carrall Street)
When
Saturday February 4th, 2:00 – 5:00 pm
View the ads:
To preview the ads go to our gallery section, or for more information about the Smokescreen Project, visit www.madebyyouth.tv.
Interviews & photos:
Several youth will be available for interviews at the launch. To pre–arrange interviews, get photos or for more information, contact Deblekha Guin at Tel: 250.539.5904.
On Feb. 4th Deblekha can be reached by cell at 604.250.0795

The Smoke Screen 2 Campaign Is Taking Off:

January 1, 2006

Ads on the Airwaves (TV)

Ads on the Transit System

  • This ad will be on 500 busses and 200 sky train cars in the Vancouver area this FEBRUARY

Ads in the Papers

Ads on the Net

Stickers Around Town

Post Cards Around Town

Media Launch Party — come and celebrate the power of youth made media

Saturday February 4th

Gallery Gachet

88 East Cordova Street
1 block north of East Hastings between Columbia & Carrall Street

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

02 On Screen

Smoke Screen ads will be coming soon

January 1, 2006

If you live in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, this FEBRUARY (2006), be on the lookout in busses, on sky trains and...

On TV:

  • Global (Sunday nights: The Simpsons, War At Home, The Family Guy & American Dad)
  • Much Music (Much 911)
  • YTV (Naruto & Sponge Bob)
  • City TV (Friends, Great Movies & South Beach)
  • SportsNet (Soccer, NBA)
  • CBC (The Simpsons, Hockey Night in Canada)
  • Channel M (Simpsons, King of the Hill, Chinese Cinema & Korean Magazine)
  • Shaw Multicultural (Channel 20)
back

In Papers:

  • The Vancouver Sun (February 5th)
  • The Province (February 4th)
  • 24 Hours
  • The Canadian Immigrant Magazine
back

03 Testimonials

“I‘d like to work in a supportive and professional environment creating ads concerning an issue I care about.”

Jamie Perry

“The main factor pressuring youth to smoke from my experience is definitely the media. Seeing world famous stars smoke on the big screen —as if smoking were a fashion necessity— has to have an effect on youth and their relation to smoking. Peer pressure, and your friends who have been affected by the media will put you on the burner as well.”

Jamie Perry

“ I would think they‘re probably several reasons [why newcomer youth smoke]. It can be a tremendous pressure to adapt to a new country, new culture, and new ways of life. As a person who has lived in Canada for only 3 years, I can particularly identify with students whose mother tongue isn‘t English. You have the fundamental problem of communicating and expressing yourself with others in English –in a limited amount of time so you can move on with your education. You also have the pressure to fit in... and excel in your academic work —sometimes from yourself or from your parents... You experience culture shock; you miss home, your friends, and possibly your family. With all these pressure exerting on you, you need to have a proper way to vent, to relax, to deal with all this stress. For some people, smoking seems to be the easiest path...”

Yun-Chen (Andrew) Chang

“In my opinion, newcomer youth have a certain tendency to smoke since they go through a difficult process of fitting in, which can be quite a difficult stage in life. Most of the time trying to “fit in” leads to smoking, and youth may actually think they can make themselves look “cool” in order to be accepted.”

Steven Gomez

“It‘s a really cool feeling to know that something you‘ve poured your heart into can get onto television. It‘s one dream of mine that is finally coming true.”

“To have a bunch of people of all ages and cultures working together as a team in creating these commercials is proof to the world that creative minds can co-exist without borders.”

Quotes from Jonas Salzberg

“These ads come from the bottom of our lungs”

“We [focused] all our creativity … on the subject of smoking, and we just let it all flow … I think we just felt... comfortable and at ease working with each other and expressing our true colors. That‘s the reason the ads came out ...as effective as they did”

“I can‘t wait to see how the public reacts to the ads we made. I just hope it makes people cringe, laugh, and cry. I hope the smokers all go on strike and rampage down the streets of downtown Vancouver. I‘d love that.”

“These ads are universal, anyone from any country will understand them... it‘s just a question of whether they will be brave enough to do anything about it.”

Quotes from Jamie Perry