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Launch of REACH OUT Promo Campaign and EDUCATION ZONE

Published: 05-02-2014 12:45
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Without any doubt an important aspect in organising an event of the stature of the UEFA EUROPEAN UNDER 17 CHAMPIONSHIP is to promote it, both locally and abroad.  It will certainly be very satisfactory to see thousands of football enthusiasts at the stadia which will host the tournament matches in May. When it comes to the local market, rather than incurring huge expenses to try and entice the public to buy tickets to watch these Euro Finals, our focus will be directed towards an open invitation to the various sectors of the local community. For this reason the Local Organising Committee is embarking on a widespread campaign called REACH OUT. The REACH OUT campaign and EDUCATION ZONE were launched this morning during a Press Conference held at the Centenary Stadium in Ta' Qali, and which was addressed by the Chairman of the local Organisng Committee of the UEFA EUROPEAN UNDER 17 CHAMPIONSHIP - MALTA 2014, Mr. Bjorn Vassallo and Mr. Evarist Bartolo Minister for Education & Employment. The activity was also attended by a sizeable crowd of College Principals and Heads of Schools who were later presented with details of the campaigns and initiatives targetting students and school children. Mr. Vassallo dwelt on the importance of the event which UEFA has entrusted the MFA with. "For us this is an occasion to show our organisational capabilities with the hope of getting more important assignments in the future. It is also an occasion for sport (football in particular), to help promote our country, espcially in the light of the fact that all 15 matches from the tournament will be shown on EUROSPORT TV which has an average daily viewership of 17 million people" With regards to the REACH OUT campaign Vassallo stated "Our aim is to reach all parts of society and to promote education, culture and football through the younger generations. Thanks to all those involved this will surely be a wonderful experience throughout!!!" In his address Minister Bartolo stated that he greatly appreciated the efforts undertaken by the MFA through the Local Organising Committee to lay out a campaign that includes all students and school children, refugees, people with disability, localities, the media, other sports organisationsm youth clubs, etc. In this regard he pledged the Ministry's full support. REACH OUT will consist of a number of mini campaigns targeting the various sectors of society, which are intended at attracting a consistent turn-out for all the 15 matches of the tournament.  FOOTBALL AND MORE REACH OUT will further cater for the possibility of roping in the cultural and educational aspects within the sporting activity of this event. Themes  REACH OUT will carry the two themes adopted by the LOC in promoting the tournament. FROM GRASSROOTS TO ELITE  -  The theme will be specifically aimed at promoting the development of the local game and include campaigns targeting the younger generations, particularly those in schools and football nurseries. On the other hand FRIENDSHIP THROUGH FOOTBALL will be theme aimed at highlighting the power of football in bringing people together and thus create a friendly atmosphere amongst both locals coming from various sectors of society and visitors.   The Educational Aspect The Malta U17 Finals will present the local community with achance to host and get to know better the different cultures that hail from the countries here being represented by their sporting communities, whether they are young football players, team and association officials, accompanying fansor the Media. Sponsors, students and school children can here play an important role in hosting and learning more about our guests. The EDUCATION ZONE in particular, is a campaign which is aimed at giving the opportunity to students and school children to enrich their socio, cultural and educational skills andknowledge by participating in initiatives which are being organised by the Local Organising Committee, of the event. This campaign is being supported by the Ministry of Education and Employment and the Valletta 2018 Foundation.  The Various REACH OUT Mini Campaigns  •        NURSERIES ZONE  -  Targeting youths and children in local football nurseries •        ONE-TIME ZONE  - An invitation to members of youth centres, band clubs youth sections, sports organisations, and NGO’s, who may not usually follow footballl as a sport, but who could be driven by the interest of meeting others, making new friends and getting the feel of the stadium experience. .•        FOOTBALL WITHOUT FRONTIERS  -  An invitation extended to residents in open centres, as part of our corporate social responsibility of giving these people the opportunity to enjoy the feeling of friendlship through sport. •        FOOTBALL FOR ALL  -  As another fulfillment of our corporate social responsibility and the fact that the final match coincides with UEFA’s Grassroots Week, we chose to include members from the Special Olympics team. •        EDUCATION ZONE  -  As stated above, this campaign will give the opportunity to students and school children to enrich their  socio, cultural and educational skills and knowledge by participating in initiatives which are being organised for State, Church & Private Schools. Education Zone will also be extended to students from the University of Malta, the Junior College and MCAST who may fancy organising groups to attend to any of the tournament matches. •        CLUB ZONE  -  Members of Local Football Clubs will also be offered the chance to follow and support our youngsters and enjoy the thrills that international youth football offers.  •        MEDIA ZONE  -  Media houses will be invited to become partners in promoting this high- profile event. •        OTHER  -  Local Councils, hotels, supermarkets, and volunteers from other entities will also be invited to join our promotion campaign.     THE SCHOOLS INITIATIVES  The Stadium Experience School administrators are invited to organise classes for an excursion, offering the opportunity to school children to enjoy The Stadium Experience, and attend to a match featuring either their fellow citizen youth players or indeed players from the representative teams coming from the top European Nations in Youth Football, in action at such an important sporting event. Target Audience All State, Church and Independent Schools are being urged to participate in this initiative. The targeted age groups are as follows; ·        Primary  -  Boys & Girls   -  Years 4, 5 and 6·        Seondary  -  Boys & Girls  -  Forms 1, 2, 3 and 4 There will be no capping on the  number of students/school children that can attend from each school.  Benefits & Incentives Participating Schools; ·        All participating schools will be offered FREE Transport Services to take the participants from the school to the stadium, and back. ·        Each of the best three represented schools on the basis of the school’s population percentage, will be presented  with a Voucher with which they can acquire books for their school library or sports equipment. Participating individuals; ·        All participating individuals, whether being school children, teachers and / or school administrators, will each get a COMPLIMENTARY TICKET to enter the stadium to watch the match. ·        All participating individuals,  will each get a COMPETITION BRANDED TOKEN when they enter the stadium. ·        All ticket stubs (bearing the holders’ details), retained by the Stadium Gate Stewards will be eligible to participate in a lottery with all PRIZES being related to top level experiences that the local game of football can offer.     The Exhibition Project Local and International Sport events are not limited solely to the field of play, but also bring with them the Educational and Socio/Cultural aspects. The UEFA European Under 17 Championship Finals will not differ. School administrators are invited to encouragechildren from their respective schools to participate in project work related to these aspects that The Malta 2014 Finals will offer. The Project Works ·        THE WORKS - The project works can be either an individual or a group effort, as long as a participating school produces enough material to embellish a small to medium sized exhibition stand, if the particular school is chosen as best from its category. ·        FINISHED PRODUCT - The end product can be any from the below;·        Essay Writing·        A Project Book·        Drawing (size A4 to A3)·        Painting or collage (size A3 to A2)·        Photography (single or mini collection of photos – max 10 photos)·        Power Point Presentation (Max 20 Slides)·        Scale Model (maximum footprint area 50cm x 35 cm) ·        THE TOPICS – The topic of the project work for each participating school will be allocated by the Local Organising Committee according to the interest of participation received from the schools themselves. The topics will be chosen from;·        The Social and Cultural characteristics of a country from amongst those who can possibly qualify for the Malta 2014 Finals, including Malta·        RESPECT in Sport with particular reference to football·        FAIR PLAY, and·        ANTI RACISM in sport with particular reference to football·        VALLETTA – European Capital City of Culture 2018 ·        WINNING PROJECTS- The judges will decide on the winning project work from one school from each of the 11 Sectors, which school will then be allocated a stand space to exhibit the works done by its students in the central exhibition, which will be put up for the duration of the tournament.The judging of the works produced by the schools will be carried out during visits to the participating schools by our Tournmaent Ambassadors.      Benefits & Incentives Schools Efforts;·        All participating schools will be presented with a Voucherwith which they can acquire books for their school library or sports equipment.·        The schools presenting the winning project from each of the 11 Sectors, will be presented with an additional Voucherwith which they can acquire books for their school library or sports equipment. Individual / Group Efforts;·        The best three judged individual or group efforts will in the order of merit, be presented with Voucherswith which they can acquire books or sports equipment.