SLT Awareness Day 2008: Dean Sutherland's Report

Thank you to everyone who organised, participated in, or simply spoke about the fantastic array of activities and media coverage that made Awareness Day ’08 so memorable. A few of the highlights reported to me included –

• “Speech Therapy Olympics” at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Christchurch.
• The public library displays and sessions achieved through the collaboration of SLTs from different employer groups in Hamilton.
• Tauranga Hospital’s client “story-telling seminar” that attracted a number of distinguished visitors.
• University of Canterbury students converting their colleagues to thickened fluids while using electro-larynxs.

CONGRATULATIONS to Alison Zani (Otago DHB) for winning the media coverage prize and to Maria Ganal-Camero (GSE Gisbourne) and Sarah Exton (Waitemata DHB) for their prize-winning poster entries. Great efforts all round and well done – your cheques are in the mail. Maria’s and Sarah’s posters were both creative and informative, and too hard for the judges to separate! Alison’s media coverage included front page exposure on the Otago Daily Times. Additional Awareness Day media coverage was achieved by Colette Maier (North Shore Times) and Hamilton DHB SLTs (Waikato Times). Our president, Megan McAuliffe, was also quoted in articles appearing in the Press and on Stuff.co.nz. These articles will feature prominently on the “media montage” I am preparing for next year’s AGM/ Professional Development event.

SLT Awareness Day 2008 - Sharing Stories: Making a Difference

The 2008 SLT Awareness Day will take place on Friday 22nd August. The theme for this year is Sharing Stories: Making a Difference.

Members are encouraged to contact local media outlets (e.g. radio and print media) to spread stories about Speech-language therapy and the work we do, with a particular emphasis on the difference(s) we have made in clients' lives. A $200 prize is available for the best media coverage.

In addition, a poster competition will again be held for 2008. Valued at $200, this prize will be awarded to the individual who designs a poster that summaries your story, describes the work of Speech-language therapists, informs or advises caregivers / families / whanau or provides information on a particular area of practice. Submissions are due Friday 8th August, and should be sent to nzsta@speechtherapy.org.nz

The following resources are available through NZSTA:

• Bumper Stickers (1,000 nationally)
• Wrist Bands (500 nationally)
• Balloons
• Posters

Resources can be ordered through the Executive Officer. When ordering resources, please keep in mind there are only a limited number of resources available throughout the country.

Posters for the 2008 Awareness Day can be downloaded here:

• Poster 1
• Poster 2
• Poster 3

SLT Awareness Day 2007 Overview

The 2007 Awareness Day took place on August 17th, and was unique in its lack of theme. For this event, it was decided to withhold a specific theme, to instead draw the focus towards the main purpose of the day: promoting Speech-Language Therapists and the work done by these professionals.

Media Releases

As part of Awareness Day 2007, a number of Media Releases were made available for therapists to use as resources. These can be found below:

• Media Release 1
• Media Release 2