Rock Eisteddfod Challenge
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The Rock Eisteddfod Challenge is a series of dance and drama events staged worldwide by school pupils. These events are initiated by the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge Foundation, and aim to promote healthy lifestyle choices, particularly abstenance from drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. A more recent event targeted at primary aged students - J Rock - was introduced in 2004 to target obesity by promoting dance as a fun way to exercise. Essentially, A Rock Eisteddfod show is about telling a story on stage in 8 minutes. You can have between 10 and 120 students on stage, as well as up to 20 back stage crew. The entire show is set to a pre-recorded soundtrack of contemporary music, and the aim is to use dancing and drama to tell the story. There are also sets and costumes to be thought of. It combines almost every aspect of a school's arts curriculum. And the schools get to choose whatever themes they like.
[edit] History
The concept began in Sydney, Australia in 1980 and is now staged in locations worldwide. New Zealand, Germany, the U.S., United Kingdom and South Africa have all taken up what's known as the Global Rock Challenge phenomenon. A sister event The Croc Festival stages a series of festivals in remote and regional areas aimed at both indigenous and non indigenous communities are held each year. In addition to performing under the stars the three day festivals provide the opportunity for rural and remote students to participate in many health, education, employment, sport, visual and performing activities during the day.
[edit] Concept
While performances are professionally-staged events, the Global Rock Challenge is about having fun along the way. Students, teachers, parents and communities work together over many months helping to prepare the school's performance. Students gain invaluable communication and leadership skills as well as the more practical aspects of producing - financial, fundraising, construction and design - to make them more "life ready". Their sense of pride in their school is boosted as are student / teacher relationships. Students take part in an exhilarating day, culminating in a live event performance in front of thousands of family and friends. It's a buzz!
The event is aproven way to boost resilience amongst students. A world first research project led by the now Pro-Vice Chancellor of Sydney University – Professor Don Nutbeam in 1999-2001 - found that participants in the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge® in Sydney secondary schools had higher self-esteem than the control group of schools who did not participate in the event; that participants smoked less tobacco and marijuana and drank less alcohol than the control group. The PhD candidate who undertook the research, Dr Rose Grunstein also found that students in participating schools but not in the actual team also had lower propensities to smoke, drink excessive alcohol or take other drugs. In other words the positive effects were felt throughout the school.
Since then many State and Government Health and Education Departments have put their support and money behind the event – recognising the ability of the event to promote anti substance and healthy lifestyle messages. The Australian Department of Health and Ageing have sponsored the Rock Eisteddfod Challenge® television specials with various tobacco, alcohol and drug prevention messages for 18 years. Each year some 30% of all young people in Australia watch the specials and of that audience group 90% of the viewers recall the prevention messages contained within the programmes.
Almost a million young people aged 11 to 19 have now performed on stage. In 2005, 100,000 young people from 800 schools took part in one of the hundreds of shows staged worldwide.
Over 400 schools and 40,000 students competed in 50 Rock Eisteddfod Challenge ® shows in 17 regions across Australia in 2006.
[edit] See also
Rock Eisteddfod Challenge results
