Barnstable County Gets Creative with Appeals to Generation Z to Practice Safety Precautions During COVID-19
Information from Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment
For Immediate Release
Barnstable County Gets Creative with Appeals to Generation Z to Practice Safety Precautions During COVID-19
Campaign Includes a TikTok Video Challenge Promoting Mask-Wearing
Barnstable, MA. (July 30, 2020) — The Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment is exploring new ways to convey to young locals and visitors the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic and launched the #ShowUpWithAMask campaign today.
So far, the campaign includes a one-minute Public Service Announcement featuring several youths promoting mask-wearing, most of whom are residents on Cape Cod between the ages of 15 and 25. The video is posted on all County social media platforms and websites as of today. The campaign also includes a TikTok Challenge that calls for youth to create videos based on the #ShowUpWithAMask concept that can be viewed on the County’s new TikTok page www.tiktok.com/@barnstablecounty.
Barnstable County Communications Manager Sonja Sheasley said, “We know we are taking a risk because TikTok is completely different than how local governments normally do social media, which is via Facebook and Twitter. However, we see TikTok as an entertainment app with the potential to engage creative, young locals and visitors in sharing this essential message in a fun way, and at the height of our summer season. We are hoping to see some videos promoting mask-wearing far more creative than what we have come up with.”
The instructions posted on the Barnstable County Health and Environment website are:
Accept our TikTok #ShowUpWithAMask Challenge. Go to www.tiktok.com/@barnstablecounty to see what we’ve posted. Upload your original video to your TikTok account that promotes mask-wearing. Use fun transitions and music expressing the concept of “showing up with a mask,” and don’t forget to use the hashtag #ShowUpWithAMask and #CapeCod so we can share it!
Barnstable County Youth Are Invited to Request A Free Mask While Supplies Last
To further drive the message on the importance of wearing a mask, Barnstable County is also offering a free mask to Barnstable County youth in the age range of 15-25. These residents are prompted to fill out a short form, and a surgical mask will be mailed to them with a thank you letter from the County within 5-7 days.
Deputy Director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, Erika Woods, says, “As part of this campaign to reach a younger demographic and to remind them of this community responsibility, we are happy to send young residents a free mask. It may not be much, but we want to offer what we can.”
To receive a free mask from the County, you must be between 15 and 25. The County has set aside a certain number of surgical masks for youth requests and will send them out while those supplies last, up to three per household.
About the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment
Established under a Special Act of the Legislature in 1926, the Barnstable County Department of Health & Environment (BCDHE) provides regional public health and environmental health services throughout the 15 towns comprising Barnstable County. The Department manages several environmental, public health, and homeland security grants funded through state and federal resources. The Department’s primary mission is to protect public health and the environment and promote the physical and mental health and well-being of the residents of Barnstable County.
For media inquiries:
Contact: Sonja Sheasley, Communications Manager
Sonja.Sheasley@capecod.gov
