Newsletter

Objective / Description

Creation of a newsletter on the project's web page. Distribution of the link via email list to locally and nationally interested persons working in the field (trainers, responsible parties of sports clubs, departments, associations, doctors, care services, among others). The newsletter is being published every 2-4 months.

Objectives and contents developed on their basis:

• Transparency for local participants and interested parties: Report on project's activities, naming of project's members to facilitate contact Publication of relevant events and local offerings ("Meldungen").
• Spreading of relevant information: Reports containing specialized information, backgrounds, exemplary projects and national/international activities.
• Dissemination of project's experiences to nationally interested parties.

Procedure

• In cooperation with a web designer, a newsletter format was created and translated into practice on the project's web page.
• Distribution of the newsletter's link through an e-mail distribution list.
• Old editions are still available in the archives.
• A distribution list was created, containing all local GPs, pharmacies, relevant sports clubs, organizations, care services and decision makers. The list was further developed and persons interested were added persistently.

Stakeholders and their tasks

Project employees:

• Drafting of each issue
• Approaching potential authors
• Text editing
• Online creation of the newsletter and link distribution by e-mail

Local participants and experts:

• Reporting on local activities that are supposed to be advertised, specialized article on various relevant issues

Expenses / Time

• Planning and editing per issue: about 5 working days
• Preparation and distribution: about 3 working days

Results

• From November 2011 until September 2013, 12 editions were dispatched.
• Additional to the project employees, 14 other authors offered articles.
• Until the 12th edition, the e-mail distribution list reached 374 addresses. 73 of these addresses were known to be supraregional/international.
• Until the end of September 2013, the first edition was retrieved ca 1300 times.

Newsletter archive (available only in german)

Experiences / Advice

• The newsletter has proven itself as a practical communication medium within the municipality. It is responsible for a possible transparency towards the world outside of the project.
• The opportunity to advertise events and classes was used by only few local participants.
• Articles, containing general issues in the context of prevention of falls and exercise promotion were the ones that were retrieved the most. Project specific contents were retrieved way less. Thus, it may be indicated that local participants and interested parties used the newsletter to acquire knowledge. A challenge for this is the high quality of information and the frequent provision of new issues or rather new experts, who operate as authors.