Great success for SHIELD events

14 December 2004

With great success took place SHIELD events in all 4 countries (Greece, Poland, Estonia, Turkey) between 4-20 November 2004. Both Exhibitions and Workshops in the 4 countries provided a platform of science communication to young people of Europe. School-students and general public get acquainted with Natural Hazards and Disasters and had a first hand experience of the continues stuggle among Science & Technology vs the most Extreme Natural Phenomena occuring all over the world.

While the target of 2.000 students-visitors on average per country might, before the events, seem to be challenging, reality overcomed any expectation. Only in Greece 6.500 school students visited in exhibition, while in Turkey 3.500, in Estonia, 3.500 and also in Poland. More than 450 people in Ankara participated in the workshop, while also at the same time in all other countries the workshops gain full success. Finally, the feedback taken by the participants, through direct discussions and questionnares, was very good (both by teachers, school-students and other participants).

A succesful information campaign prior and during events served the target of an integrated promotion strategy concluding into more than 8 TV interviews, 5 Radio interviews, 30 articles in newspapers, radio spot campaign in various popular radio stations and other soft publicity actions.

At the end, several invitations has been made to co-ordinator and the rest of the partners to share the exhibition material and transfer the exhibitions in other places - musuems, inside and outside the territory of the 4 countries, providing the framework for the deployment of additional dissemination actions beyond project completion.

Kostas Bougiouklis

Q-PLAN S.A.

SHIELD Project Manager

bougiouklis@qplan.gr