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Description of initiative
The "I Hear Good Sounds" (Słyszę Dobre Dźwięki [SDD]) campaign primarily educates about the dangers of noise pollution but also inspires to create spaces of silence, relaxation, and good sounds. At the very beginning, it informed the citizens about how to create an acoustically friendly environment and how to navigate in a world filled with sounds. We educated the province's inhabitants about the ecology of sounds through conferences, workshops, outdoor activities, banner campaigns, hearing tests, and contests for School and City Harmony Zones. Later, the organizers began to consider good sounds more broadly – in the context of inclusive culture. They decided they should be accessible to everyone, regardless of age, place of residence, or health condition. And so the idea of an annual summary of the campaign and a festival of inclusive culture was born: the "I Hear Good Sounds" Festival, a festival for families, seniors, and youth, where are invited outstanding artists to create a community of good sounds.
The campaign stands out not only through its educational activities (targeted at age-diverse groups of recipients - from children and youth to seniors) but also thanks to its innovativeness and non-standard actions. The initiative goes beyond traditional educational methods (especially those proposed by musical institutions) through, among others, education about hearing, organising free hearing tests, supporting the creation of School Harmony Zones in schools, and a festival addressing therapeutic aspects of sound and psychophysical well-being, as well as the role of music in shaping it. This places the entire campaign as a pioneer in making communities aware of the importance of hearing health and the impact of surrounding sounds on our well-being.
Organising events as part of the I Hear Good Sounds Campaign changes the social approach to noise and health issues while also serving as an example of a modern approach to health education.
Further information on the initiative
Themes: Culture and...
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Results, benefits, impact and lessons learnt
The "I Hear Good Sounds" campaign increases awareness of issues related to noise and health. The lectures organised as part of the campaign, together with substantive partners, encourage conscious care for hearing. Practical strategies presented during these events, which can be applied in working with children and youth, help participants develop skills to identify factors potentially harmful to hearing. They also teach how to create an environment conducive to hearing protection and incorporate the topic of hearing protection into educational, cultural, or artistic activities, inspiring reflection on the importance of healthy hearing in various contexts.
The campaign attracts the attention of local communities and encourages actions aimed at improving the acoustic environment in schools. It engages students, teachers, and parents, stimulating their creativity in using available school infrastructure to create places of silence, known as School Harmony Zones, where students are not exposed to loud, stressful sounds, making the school environment more friendly for them.
Organising a several-day festival summarising each edition inspires exploration of various aspects of sound, both in therapeutic and artistic contexts. Through open lectures by experts in psychology, medicine, and acoustics, the festival becomes a platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences, leading to greater social awareness of the importance of caring for hearing health and the role of sound in our daily lives and its impact on mental and physical health. The events encourage the tightening of intergenerational bonds and spending time together while presenting the main theme of hearing care and mental health in an artistic form.
The campaign has reached not only the residents of Szczecin but also the entire West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It is estimated that during all events held as part of the campaign and the I Hear Good Sounds festival were reached approximately 20000 people.