Volunteers needed for May Day Eco Fare stall

Transitions Galway has a stall at this weekend’s May Day Eco Fare at Brigit’s Garden, Roscahill. The Fare takes place on Sunday May 3rd 12:30 to 5:30 and will feature Duncan Stewart, of RTE's Eco Eye, launching 'Nature's Power'.

The action-packed day is a suitable for all ages, and is a fun and fascinating way to learn about small steps you can take to become more eco-wise.

Transitions Galway is a local community group, aiming to prepare for the challenges of diminishing oil and gas supplies, and climate change. It promotes the importance of creating a more sustainable, resilient Galway through a number of regular events such as Film Screenings and Green Drinks once a month to raise awareness, as well as workshops, showcase events.

Transitions Galway members

The group is asking for volunteers to help the Transitions Galway information stand at the May Day Eco Fare. Any help would be great, even for a short while. It is an easy and fun way to help out, meet new people and get to know more about issues impacting on the lives of Galwegians. There will be other people from Transition Galway at the stall to help answer questions, as well as leaflets and material for the public. Some of group will be carpooling to Roscahill so anyone who can offer a lift from Galway please get in touch with them. Contact Transitions Galway at: galwaytransition@gmail.com

Links

Transition Galway Website

Transition Galway Facebook

Transition GalwayFacebook Group Page

Galway’s Garden ofTransition Facebook

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For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion  Students at NUI Galway can also sign up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student Health 101

                                                                                                      

Keep up to date by following this blog on twitter and Facebook

‘Can I reschedule my period?’, ‘Should I smash my cyst with a hammer?’ and lots more from Go Ask Alice

Here’s the latest Q & As from Go Ask Alice. Topics covered below include, ‘Can I reschedule my period?’, ‘Should I smash my cyst with a hammer?’ and lots more…

Click on the links below to read more about subjects that interest you. And remember if you find the articles useful feel free to tell your friends or retweet this blog.

Should I smash my cyst with a hammer?
How to floss?
Echinacea
Can I reschedule my period?

Boyfriend is always late and I'm frustrated

Asking for space: Was it a mistake?

My partner feels more strongly about me than I do about him

Different backgrounds — Should we get serious?

My girlfriend doesn't want me to wear a condom... but I do

All Go Ask Alice articles are written by Columba University.

Copyright (C)  2015 Columbia University. All rights reserved.

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Remember, if you have problems or worries you feel you would like to talk about confidentially, contact Cindy Dring, Health Promotion Officer for NUI Galway at 091-492048. Alternatively e-mail her at cindy.dring@nuigalway.ie or just drop in to Aras Ni Eimhigh.

Lies, damn lies and advertising. Part 2: Bucket loads!

It is a curious thing that one of the most beneficial things we can do to boost our health, making friends and socialising, is turned into a potentially very destructive and dangerous pastime by the alcohol industry. At the very time when teenagers and young adults are reaching out to new people and new ways of engaging with the world, they are bombarded by propaganda and political decisions that inform them that the only way to connect with others is through the use of alcohol, a lot of alcohol.

In 2009 the UK House of Commons Health Select Committee obtained internal marketing documents from Alcohol producers and their advertising agencies. This data was summarised and analysed by Professor Gerard Hastings in his memorandum ‘They’ll drink bucket loads of the stuff’. 

This analysis showed that the critical age group for the Alcohol Industry is mid-teens to early twenties, and the main target group is young students: the intention being to create lifelong habits of high alcohol consumption. One example is Lambrini, whose own research acknowledges that as its brand is aimed at young drinkers it needs to keep recruiting new young drinkers: ‘Girls grow out of Lambrini… We could maybe hold onto them a year or two longer …but we should not think about an older demographic per se’ Similarly WKD’s internal analysis talks of the ‘opportunity’ of ‘new 18year olds!’ WKD’s marketing also talks of the need to ‘talk at the level of the target audience – young people”. “Funny is the most important thing… not take itself too seriously, fresh, witty, a funny brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously.’

Getting students to drink excessively is also an important strategy. An internal Sidekick discussion openly recognised that shots be used “ to crank up the evening, accelerate the process of getting drunk with less volume of liquid” This discussion also talked of the “sense of danger”, “macho competitiveness” and games based around “how much can you take?”

An important part of this grooming of teenagers and young adults is the use of social media, websites and emails. Again many of those targeted were under the legal drinking age, in the case of Smirnoff almost three quarters of its UK Facebook contacts in 2009 where underage. That websites can be easily be accessed by the underage viewers giving a false date of birth, was dismissed by a WKD representative as children making a ‘wilful choice to lie’.

In the UK as in Ireland sponsorship is recognised as an important way of creating positive attitudes towards a brand, whether this be sports, festivals or gigs. A Carling explained its sponsorship of music thus: Ultimately, the band are the heroes at the venue and Carling should use them to ‘piggy back’ and engage customers’ emotions”.

While ‘They’ll drink bucket loads of the stuff’ deals with the UK, it is easy to spot the same tactics operating in Ireland, and far worse. In future blogs I will be looking at Alcohol Industry strategies in Ireland. Stay tuned in!

Previous article: Lies, damn lies and advertising. Part 1: Shifting the blame.
Next article: Lies, damn lies and advertising. Part 3: Staying informed.

Source material: ‘They’ll drink bucket loads of the stuff’

Useful website:  Alcohol Action Ireland

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For more on how to look good, feel good and be in charge of your life as a student at NUI Galway check out Student's Services Health Promotion  Students at NUI Galway can also sign up for the free online health and wellness magazine Student Health 101

                                                                                                      

Keep up to date by following this blog on twitter and Facebook