What Is it All About?
Use a poster competition to examine the themes from growth and development, such as diversity, healthy relationships, consent, or bystander actions.
Choose a theme and have students create their own interpretations in poster form. Then have the posters judged by a panel of peers or experts from the community. Another option is to recreate/redesign existing posters in a variety of styles.
Why Do It?
Put the issue on a poster for everyone to refer to! Draw attention to the topic so people don’t look away.
How Do We Do It?
Publicize the poster contest.
Start with a key message you would like the posters to focus on.
Participants design posters by drawing, painting, using graphic art, or even creating a collage from existing photos/ads/pictures, as individuals or in groups.
If you’re using photos of people in the posters, remember to get their consent!
Work with your adult ally to obtain permission to hang posters in one area for a Poster Parade.
Develop judging criteria (e.g., most creative, most impactful, most honest) and ask a panel of judges from partner organizations or school counsellors/adult allies to vote using the identified criteria.
Hand out prizes for the winning posters, which can be displayed in the school.
What Else Do We Need?
- Poster board
- Markers, pencil crayons, paint, and other writing materials
- Glue, scissors, magazines
- Wall tape
- Prizes
- Option: camera/cell phone, computer, graphics program, printer
How Do We Get Creative?
Add a blank panel to the winning posters and have people sign it if they agree with your message.
Share your posters via social media.
If there are concerns about the posters getting torn down, consider writing a message on the back of each poster saying something like, “Keep me on the wall where my message can be shared.”
Adapted from York Region’s Healthy Schools Program: Ready, Set, Create! contest and exposé: A smoke-free youth initiative by Ottawa Public Health.