Although youth-focused anti-drug campaigns are often slammed for being overly dramatic and unrealistic, the bottom line is most teens can't resist discussing the drug issue and its powerful impact on their lives.
Getting young people to talk openly and honestly about how drugs affect them on a personal level is where some of the most exciting opportunities exist for changing abusive behaviors and promoting prevention. Last year, teens in Illinois jumped at the opportunity to discuss how accessible drugs are and their attitudes about drug use. Their opinions served as the backdrop to a statewide drug prevention effort, "Illinois Get in the kNOw," spearheaded by the Illinois State Police (ISP).
The campaign's centerpiece, a 30-minute television program, captured candid discussion about substance abuse and realistic ideas for making a difference. It was one of the most successful components of the campaign, reaching 100,000 households and more than 7,000 middle- and high-school students statewide who viewed the video in their schools.
The video also served as a hard-hitting reality check for educators, parents and anti-drug advocacy organizations on teen perceptions of various drugs and dispelled several myths about teen drug use patterns. The availability of tobacco, marijuana and other illicit drugs and the fact that all kinds of kids - even the "good ones" - are using them came as shocks to parents and other adults, says Candice Warltier, director of outreach for MSI Strategic Communications, the Chicago agency that developed the campaign. Last month, the TV program won an emmy from the Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of outstanding achievement for children's programs.
Picking Their Brains
The $500,000 campaign relied heavily on statewide teen research and input with a key focus on maintaining diversity. The video, for instance, profiled teens from rural and urban areas that represented various races and income brackets. Focus groups included a cross-section of young people whose experience with drugs ranged from total abstinence to aggressive abuse. This inclusive approach helped the agency develop local approaches and solutions to the national problem of youth drug abuse, says Warltier. In Illinois, youth alcohol and tobacco use is slightly higher than national trends.
MSI worked with several schools, community groups and personal contacts throughout the state to identify participants for the video, which aired nationally in May on WGN. The program used a hip, funky MTV approach to casually discuss teen drug use issues, concentrating on tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and heroin. After the program aired on TV, videos were sent to approximately 1,500 public and private middle and high schools. The agency developed video questions for teachers to stimulate school-based discussions about drugs. This component complemented an existing school-based drug prevention program, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), that ISP had in place for 15 years.
Achieving Statewide Partnerships
To avoid duplicating some of the state's existing efforts aimed at teen drug prevention, MSI conducted a comprehensive communications audit that evaluated what more than 100 other organizations were doing to combat the problem. Throughout the effort, the agency established relationships with state agencies, trade associations, corporations, schools, law enforcement officers and medical personnel to spread the word about the campaign and solicit partnership opportunities.
This research underscored the need for a lengthy documentary style program on teen attitudes about drugs and a local resource guide for the media on anti-drug experts. The guide provides the media with more than 600 local substance abuse prevention contacts.
Collaborating with so many organizations required dealing with bureaucratic red tape. To expedite the partnering process, MSI and ISP emphasized the importance of using shared resources and the campaign's receptiveness to outside ideas. It was particularly important to debunk the myth that the ISP is unwilling to work with community organizations, says Ron Clark, ISP's public service administrator. This collaborative approach resulted in:
- the campaign using an existing toll-free hotline of a partnering organization, Prevention First, instead of having to pay for a new phone line;
- the development of a multi-agency committee for teen drug prevention; and
- soliciting the ideas of thousands of teachers, principals, superintendents and other educators for developing school-based strategies.
This collaborative success has contributed to the campaign being expanded for at least another year. In the second year, the campaign's focus will be on providing parents and other adults with strategic tools for discussing drug topics with young people.
(MSI, Candice Warltier, Kristin Pichaski, 312/944-7398; ISP, Ron Clark, 217/524-3620)
Getting teens to talk openly about their drug experiences is a difficult undertaking given the illegality of the behavior. To promote honest dialogue, Kristin Pichaski, MSI's creative manager, used tactics that removed important barriers, such as:
- Asking teens to discuss situations they've witnessed (which is less incriminating);
- Highlighting the unique opportunity to showcase their expert knowledge in the area of drug abuse; and
- Highlighting how their input could help peers avoid risky behaviors and provide solutions for dealing with teen drug abuse.