A Task Force composed of members of ACC, UBA, BDMV/ABMD, IAB (and commissioned by the Conseil de la Publicité / Raad voor de Reclame, composed by representatives from advertisers', agencies' and media associations) and the different media associations (ABMA/BVAM, FEBELMA, ABEJ/BVDU, AEA, IAB, UPP) launched an educative & interactive program for primary schools in order to learn children between 8 and 12 years how to cope with advertising and sensitizing messages in de media.

Based on the British example but adapted to the Belgian Teaching situation, this didactic program has been drawn up in cooperation with teachers, educationalists and advertising professionals and aims to learn children to make well-considered choices, to understand adverts and sensitizing messages, their role throughout the media, by developing and acquiring a more critical approach and perception of them. Children learn to recognize the various advertising roles: to praise qualities of a product or a service, to sensitize people in changing attitudes or behaviour. The sheets are easy adaptable to different age groups (8-10 years and 10-12 years), to various situations and do not use brands (more critical, less products and commercial-minded, more sensitizing messages-minded in collaboration with the Belgian Road Safety Association).

Media Smart demonstrates the engagement and the responsible role of the advertising sector in the way of communicating to children. Via the internet (www.mediasmart.be), teachers have access to didactic material and its 3 parts: Education, Creation, Contest that they can download and copy for their students. At the same time they can order a video (DVD + VHS) and posters, free of charges, for their classrooms. Media Smart is as well more creative ("do your own campaign"). Media Smart has been launched in Belgium on 26 October 2005.

The program doesn't forget the parents neither: a national media campaign (TV, Radio, Press, Magazines & Internet) has been created and a special area dedicated to parents is online.

See: www.mediasmart.be