Show the importance of public health, especially now!
Public Health students of Maastricht University (Netherlands) have launched an inspiring This is Public Health campaign. Their goal? To showcase what public health is and why it is vitally important for promoting and protecting the health and wellbeingof our communities.
Maastricht University was awarded a grant from the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) and the students of the Governance and Leadership in European Public Health programme rallied together to run the campaign. A number of key local partners supported and endorsed the campaign, including university authorities, the municipality, and various student organizations.
The creativity, ambition and knowledge of the students proved to be a perfect fit with their different academic and cultural backgrounds, which resulted in a variety of campaign outputs. A central tool was the use of blue ‘This is public health’ campaign stickers, which were placed on various health-promoting initiatives throughout the city to increase the visibility of public health in the local community. The students also interviewed various public health professionals, researchers and policy makers to highlight the diverse range of projects happening in Maastricht.
In addition to promoting their campaign activities on social media, the students highlighted their activities and interviews in an overarching film project. The filming overlapped with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which offered a unique opportunity to demonstrate the importance of implementing public health measures to keep people safe during these times. The final product of this campaign is an engaging video, sparked with humour and enthusiasm, of the students showcasing the dynamic and exciting field of public health.