Project ENGAGE : campaign to promote social engagement in active ageing

Abstract

This paper presents “Project ENGAGE: Go InterACTIVE”, a communication campaign by a team of four final year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). As the active ageing agenda is still in its infantile stage in Singapore, the campaign aims to build on the government’s preliminary efforts to promote social engagement in active ageing.

Targeted at senior Singaporeans aged 50 and above, the campaign aims to highlight the importance of social engagement as an integral element of successful active ageing and encourage senior Singaporeans to engage in social activities. This is done through engaging the seniors in conversation to educate them about the issue and encourage them to take pledges and concrete actions to kick start an active lifestyle.

This paper outlines the research that shaped the direction of communication strategies, plans and tactics. The key communication channels, encompassing information booths, an active ageing carnival cum walkathon, and door-to-door visits, are documented in this report. Finally, the paper discusses the campaign’s success, limitations and future directions.