WHAT?

An online quiz about chemicals in the bathroom, aimed at students ages 14-18, to be used in the classroom.

WHY?

Young people, not just girls, use a lot of cosmetics, hair and skincare products, and fragrances. About 7000 different chemicals – like mineral oil, perfume, coloring, surfactants and preservatives are hiding in these everyday products. Some of them are allergenic, others endocrine disruptive, accumulating in the adipose tissue or are otherwise less than sustainable. The good news is, there are more healthy and sustainable alternatives. To make conscious choices you need to be aware of both the problems and the solutions.

HOW?

Kahoot is an internet based quiz tool, much used in schools. There is a ”library” of different Kahoots on different subjects, free to use, and you can also make your own. The teacher hosts the Kahoot, showing the pictures and questions of the quiz on a big screen. The students click their chosen answers on their own devices.

How do you reach a certain target group? Consult its members!

This particular project didn’t start with an idea about what to do, but with an intention to reach a special target group. Luckily, I had a typical representative for that group in my own house. I discussed the subject with my teenage daughter – awareness raising on chemicals in cosmetics and hygiene products, and how to reach young people through school. She dismissed most of my original ideas, including making small films, maybe some kind of anti-advertising, using smartphones.   ”We’ve done films before”, she said, ”and we are never given enough time. Also, it is always the same persons who actually do the work”. She suggested dramatical chemical experiments, preferably explosive. ”Maybe not”, I said. Eventually she came up with the Kahoot. It is a format the students are already used to, and though easily digested and playful, it still offers a way to communicate serious stuff. I’m no digital genius, but the instructions were easy to follow. It was all low budget: The only cost was the working hours. You need to find the right teachers that might be interested in the subject, you need to deliver some background information so they can familiarize themselves with the material, and hopefully you are ahead of time so the subject can be made to fit into an often already overfull curriculum. The whole process needs to cost the teacher a minimum of effort, and feel inspiring and meaningful for him or her too.