Be the Wall - Wednesday's Tips - 4/29/09
"Be the Wall - Wednesday's Tips" - April 29, 2009
Author: Amity Chandler, Director of Drug Free Charlotte County
email: Amity_Chandler@ccps.k12.fl.us
Wall Tip #1
T-shirt walks are strategies that can create a buzz in a venue very
quickly and result in brand curiosity or brand recognition.
Pick a community event, such as a health fair, or venue, such as a grocery
store or mall.
Organize 10-20 volunteers to meet at a specific time, wearing their Be the
Wall t-shirt.
Simply agree that you will walk around the venue for about an hour, in
pairs of two or more.
As people are curious, they'll ask about the logo. Be prepared to tell
them about the positive norms of underage drinking in your community and
get them to sign a pledge or give them a button. If they are willing, also
take their email address and add them to your electronic newsletter
list-serve.
Don't just "give" them the button, ask them to put it on, or put it on for
them.
Wall Tip #2
If teens are going to access alcohol in your community, it will likely be
in the next few months, as prom, graduation, Memorial Day and the Fourth
of July round the corner.
This is a great time to submit an "op-ed" to your paper, reminding parents
to be clear, firm and consistent when it comes to teens and alcohol and to
remind your community that most teens choose not to drink.
It is also a great time to give parents tips to host alcohol-free parties
and to be certain that alcohol doesn't make it past the front door. See
www.oktosayno.org for a list of parent tips that you can cut and paste.
It is also important that your parents know how and where to report
incidents where they believe teen drinking may be occurring during this
busy celebration season.
Remember, don't talk down to your parents. They will appreciate the
helpful tips without any intonations of condemnation or judgment.
Wall Tip #3
It is important to remember that exposure and exchange or two different
things for your campaign. Exposure to your message and brand by large
groups or in large venues is always a good thing. You accomplish this by
utilizing your banners ro traveling display.
However, for your priority population, you want to also focus on the
exchange between yourself and the parent. When they are asked to sign
their pledge, make sure it's in a meaningful context. For example, a
parent rushing out of the grocery store is not going to be as engaged with
pledge signing and the message, as a parent that is coming in or out of
their child's basketball game.
"Parent mode" is an important mode. The act of pledge signing, t-shirt
wearing, etc... is always going to be more effective when parents are doing
the activity in unison with other parents, or in the context of "parent
mode". This inevitably works to set the tone,norms and culture of your
school and parent community.