ACTION MANUAL A tool for developing a student led, adult supported campaign to create campus and community change.

Transcription

1 ACTION MANUAL A tool for developing a student led, adult supported campaign to create campus and community change.

2 Program Development Acknowledgements Zero Alcohol for Youth is based on the What Part of Zero Don t You Understand? manual developed by Texans Standing Tall (TST) in 2002 in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation. The original What Part of Zero Don t You Understand? Kit (2002) was the product of three years of development and review, consisting of input from individuals representing the following entities: Attendees of What Part of Zero Don t You Understand? workshops, PALS Conference, Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Conference, MADD Power Camps (youth), Texans Standing Tall Policy Summit Austin Urban League Drug Prevention Resources Phoenix House-Austin Reducing Underage Drinking Through Coalitions grantees in Oregon, Louisiana, North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri Safe Communities, Southeast Texas Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Texas Department of Transportation District Office Traffic Safety Specialists in San Antonio, Paris, Houston, Austin, Pharr, Yoakum, Dallas, San Angelo, Lubbock, Laredo Travis County Underage Drinking Prevention Program Pilot Sites (including those who participated in development, implementation or review of program kits): ALOUD Coalition Amarillo ISD, U n I, Smart and Safe Boys & Girls Club of Deep East Texas (Lufkin) Brady H.S. PALS (Brady) Brownsville Weed & Seed Center ISD, Explorer Post 119 Coalition of Behavioral Health Services Columbia High School PALS (Brazoria) Community/parents focus group, Nederland Dulles High School (Sugarland) El Paso Police Dept., Underage Drinking Initiative Explorer Post 200 (Smithville) Hays-Caldwell Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (San Marcos) Judiciary focus group, Travis Co. District and County Attorney Association La Vega ISD (Waco) Law enforcement focus group, Austin area LEAD/Pleasanton ISD (Pleasanton) Longview Partners in Prevention Lubbock High School McAllen Weed and Seed Mercedes Boys and Girls Club (Hidalgo County) Montgomery Co. Youth Services (Conroe) Mothers Against Drunk Driving - Waco Nacogdoches Safe & Drug Free PALS Pflugerville Peer Assistance & Leadership (Victoria) Rockport-Fulton HS San Angelo Jr. Leadership Santa Fe Adolescent Services (Ft. Worth) School personnel focus groups, Cy-fair ISD (Houston) Skidmore-Tynan ISD (Skidmore) Smithson Valley High School (Spring Branch) Student Council, Spring Forest MS (Houston) Substance Abuse Council PRIDE Coalition (Sherman) TABC (Bexar County) Travis County Working Focus Group (representatives of all target populations) Trinity River Mission (Dallas) Youth/students focus groups, Houston The following participated in the Zero Tolerance Project Revision: Community Coalition for Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment, Amarillo City of North Richland Hills Youth Advisory Committee McKinney High School PALS (McKinney) MADD Metroplex-Lincoln HS and Richardson HS Brackenridge High School Student Council (San Antonio) Ft. Bend ISD: Kempner High School, Hightower High School, and Austin High School Top Teens of America (Lufkin) Nacogdoches Safe and Drug Free Georgetown Safe and Drug Free - Georgetown High School Regardless of funding or availability of supporting materials, Texans Standing Tall has utilized the Zero Alcohol for Youth/Zero Tolerance campaign manual to assist community coalitions across the State in reducing underage alcohol problems. Texans Standing Tall acknowledges the Texas Department of Transportations support through the years for continued development of program materials and resources without which this program would not exist. Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign ii

3 ACTION MANUAL A tool for developing a student led, adult supported campaign to create campus and community change. Texans Standing Tall is the statewide coalition working to make alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use irrelevant in the lives of youth by creating healthier and safer communities. We use research-based environmental prevention strategies and put forward a bold plan to bring youth and adults together to implement community (environmental) change. iii Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign

4 Program and Manual Timeline The Zero Alcohol for Youth Action Manual was graphically designed in 2012 with the support and cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation. In 2002, with the support and cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation, Texans Standing Tall developed the original manual and program materials. What Part of Zero Don t You Understand? was the manual supporting the Zero Tolerance project which focused on newly created laws (at that time) that indicate zero tolerance for alcohol use by persons not age 21 especially drinking and driving. In , with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) grant the manual was revised to reflect changes in the law and other material. In 2009, with support from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Texans Standing Tall renamed and rebranded the program along with aligning the manual with the Strategic Prevention Framework and updating content. Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign iv

5 Table of Contents Introduction to the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign... 1 Getting Started... 7 Step One: Assessment Collecting Data to Understand the Problem Step Two: Building Capacity by Engaging Community Support Step Three: Strategic Planning - Developing the Campaign Step Four: Implementing Your Campaign Strategy Step Five: Evaluating and Planning Next Steps Appendices Appendix 1. Recommended Resources Appendix 2. Forms and Resources that May Be Duplicated v Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign

6 O.00UR NUMBER Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign vi

7 Introduction The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign About Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaigns Underage drinking is a serious problem in the USA. Alcohol is the primary contributor to the leading causes of adolescent deaths (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). The problems of underage drinking affect every community, and every community can take action to address the problem and prevent underage drinking. The Zero Alcohol for Youth action manual is designed to guide students to take action to create change in their school and community to prevent underage alcohol use. It offers youth the tools needed to put their passion into action by creating a campaign to implement underage drinking prevention strategies that change attitudes, procedures, and policies related to underage drinking. This Action Manual is designed to walk students through the process of changing their community step by step from collecting the data needed to pinpoint the problems to implementing strategies chosen to fix those problems. Zero Alcohol for Youth campaigns provide students with tools needed to hold adults accountable for their role in the community underage drinking problem. While the campaigns focus on preventing and reducing youth alcohol use, students learn civic engagement and leadership skills that last a lifetime. The Action Manual and campaigns can be utilized by students who are part of a larger community coalition with adults or by youth who are working in a group with adult support in another setting. Community organizations and coalitions that participate in Zero Alcohol for Youth campaigns sharpen the skills needed to increase youth partnerships, gain the tools needed to strengthen collaboration among community sectors, and improve communication among multiple generations. Participating in the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign will help community organizations increase youth-adult partnerships and engage youth in working towards their community (environmental) prevention strategy goals. The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign utilizes the current best practices for prevention and follows the Strategic Prevention Framework, developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration. For a more detailed description of the Strategic Prevention Framework, please see Appendix 1. 1 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Introduction

8 Why Create or Implement a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign? Underage alcohol use is everybody s problem and its solution is everybody s responsibility. The Surgeon General s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (2007) Underage drinking is a problem that affects everyone in every community. The foreword to the Surgeon General s Call to Action explains the youth alcohol problem well: Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America s youth. A higher percentage of young people between the ages of 12 and 20 use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs. The physical consequences of underage alcohol use range from medical problems to death by alcohol poisoning, and alcohol plays a significant role in risky sexual behavior, physical and sexual assaults, various types of injuries, and suicide. Underage drinking also creates secondhand effects for others, drinkers and nondrinkers alike, including car crashes from drunk driving, which put every child at risk. Underage alcohol consumption is a major societal problem with enormous health and safety consequences and will demand the Nation s attention and committed efforts to solve. HOLDING YOUNG PEOPLE SOLEY RESPONSIBLE FOR UNDERAGE DRINKING IS LIKE HOLDING FISH RESPONSIBLE FOR DYING IN A POLLUTED STREAM. For many years, communities primarily took an individual approach to prevention by educating youth about the dangers of underage drinking and the consequences. This was often done at schools through prevention-oriented classes, poster contests, Red Ribbon Week, and activities such as staged car crashes or simulated impaired driving. In more recent years, people have realized the importance of a comprehensive approach that includes not only strategies aimed at individuals, but also efforts aimed at the community environment that accepts, tolerates, and perhaps even encourages underage drinking. Focusing on the community setting is called an environmental prevention approach. FAC The Prevention Resource Group An environmental prevention approach focuses on creating a community that supports youth in making healthy choices and enforces waiting until at least the legal age of 21 to consume alcohol. This approach recognizes that youth alone are not responsible for underage alcohol use and its associated problems. All community members have a role to play, such as enforcing the laws related to underage alcohol use, including easy access to alcohol. Many community coalitions and groups now work to prevent youth alcohol through creating community change. The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign takes this environmental prevention approach. Alcohol is an adult product. Adults create, market, sell, and profit from the product. Adults need to be accountable for their role in allowing underage drinking to occur as well as their role in the solution. Adults can ensure an environment where alcohol is hard for youth to access. Youth can ensure that adults are doing that job. Introduction Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 2

9 What is a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign? A Zero Alcohol for Youth campaign is a youth-led, adult supported community-wide project to raise awareness and implementation of Texas laws on zero tolerance for youth alcohol use. To build a campaign a group of people work together in an organized and active way toward a particular goal, often a raising awareness on a particular issue. It always involves a group of committed individuals recruiting others to be involved and having a plan of action to reach goals. This Action Manual is a tool intended to be paired with training from Texans Standing Tall to help students and coalitions go through the process of developing a plan to advance a series of steps that result in community change to prevent underage alcohol use to build a campaign. The campaigns that are developed through the use of this manual, with supported training, focus on community-based activities to prevent underage drinking. This means that students engage community support for the underage drinking issue to ultimately change the current community beliefs around the issue and to uphold and support laws that are to prevent underage drinking. Campaign: a connected series of activities or operations designed to bring about a particular result. Merriam-Webster Dictionary ALCOHOL AND THE LAW For Minors (not age 21) It is illegal to: Purchase or attempt to purchase alcohol Possess or consume alcohol Misrepresent his or her age to obtain alcohol Operate a motor vehicle or watercraft with any detectable amount of alcohol in his or her system Provide alcohol to anyone not age 21 Adults It is illegal to make alcohol available to any person not 21 years of age (except your own child or spouse and they are visibly present). Examples of making available include: Hosting a party where alcohol is made available to a person younger than age 21 Selling alcohol to a minor Purchasing alcohol and giving it to a minor 3 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Introduction

10 Is a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign right for your community? Check the following items that apply: r r r r r r In our community, underage drinking is a problem. We are a group of young people that want to do something about it. There is an adult that will support us in our efforts. We want to learn how to get the community working to prevent underage drinking. We are willing to commit to meeting monthly (or weekly) for 9 months or more to build a campaign and do the action steps. We believe that youth CAN make an impact to reduce underage drinking. If you checked most of these items, then this project is for you! How is Zero Alcohol for Youth different from other youth prevention programs? Students/Youth are in control. This program is designed for youth to carry out campaigns by themselves, with the support of an adult not the other way around. The Zero Alcohol for Youth campaign focuses on environmental prevention. The strategies you do are up to you. Creativity is key! You will choose what to do, and this manual will help you figure out how to do it. You get to learn by doing. Instead of focusing on youth as the problem, it focuses on the adults that encourage or allow underage drinking. If you think that parents, law enforcement, the alcohol industry, judges, and other adults play a role in underage alcohol use, and you want them to be held accountable for their roles, then this program is for you! How will the Action Manual help us? The Zero Alcohol for Youth campaign aims for long-term solutions and goals, and the strategy your team chooses will probably take several months to implement. This may sound intimidating, but don t be alarmed! This Action Manual will guide your team through a series of steps that will set you up for success by building a solid foundation for your project and helping you to make a lasting difference in your community. These steps will guide you in reframing community attitudes and behaviors towards underage alcohol use by revealing community problems that allow underage drinking to occur and presenting opportunities to solve the problems. Trust the process to guide you to success! The outline shows you step-by-step overview of how to carry out your Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Introduction Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 4

11 ZERO ALCOHOL FOR YOUTH CAMPAIGN STEPS Getting Started Action 1 Establish Your Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Action 2 Staff the Campaign a. Choose an Adult Project Sponsor b. Select Youth Leaders Action 3 Host an Orientation Training Step One: Assessment - Collecting Data to Understand the Problem Action 1 Collect Local Data Action 2 Gather Attitudes/Opinions a. Conducting Focus Groups b. Distributing/Collecting/Tallying Surveys Action 3 Prepare an Assessment Report Step Two: Build Capacity by Engaging Community Support Action 1 Put Together an Invitation Plan and List Action 2 Plan the Meeting Action 3 Conduct the Meeting Action 4 Discuss and Evaluate the Meeting Step Three: Strategic Planning Developing the Campaign Action 1 Conduct Planning Meeting(s) to Select Environmental Strategies and Create a Step-by-Step Strategic Plan Action 2 Discuss and Evaluate the Planning Meeting(s) Action 3 Write a Strategic Plan Action 3 Share/distribute the Strategic Plan Step Four Implementing Your Campaign Strategy Action 1 Review the Details of Your Strategic Plan Action 2 Develop Contingency Plans Action 3 Carry Out Your Campaign Strategy Action 4 Utilize Media to Spread the Word Action 5 Discuss and Review the Campaign Steps Step Five Evaluating and Planning Next Steps Action 1 Celebrate! Action 2 Discuss and Review the Entire Process Action 3 Start the Process Over Again (repeating a strategy or selecting new ones) 5 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Introduction

12 YO.00UTH HAVE THE POWER Introduction Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 6

13 Getting Started Action 1: Establishing Your Campaign If your youth or student group/team is already the youth arm of an adult-led coalition with a similar mission such as promoting health and safety or preventing underage drinking/drug use, then, congratulations! You are ready to move to Getting Started Action 2. 1 If your youth team is not already part of a larger community-based coalition or organization, then it is highly recommended that a coordinating agency host the project. You will still be in control of your actions and plans, but an organization can provide meeting space, supplies, and important contacts and relationships. Considerations for selecting a coordinating organization should include: Complementary mission to the project - A likely champion to take the initiative to host your youth team will be a group representing one of the four target groups (a school, an organization representing parents/community members, law enforcement agency, and/or members of the judicial system) or a coalition focused on underage drinking issues. Conveniently located to youth or students that will work on the project. Accessible during after school hours, weekends, evenings (and possibly summer) to accommodate when youth are available to work on the project. Meeting space where youth and adults can work. Storage space to keep materials. Availability of and/or access to basic office equipment such as computers, phones, copiers. Technical support for computer usage. Database or spreadsheet software (such as MS Excel). Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug free (ATOD) institutional policies (ex: no alcohol allowed on-site, no smoking in the building). Ability to provide basic office supplies (copier paper, envelopes, postage, etc.). Ability to support the development of materials for a community-wide campaign, such as surveys, letters, media communications, etc. (These can be as simple or elaborate as local resources provide.) Relationships with representatives (stakeholders) of agencies and organizations that are likely to support you in this campaign because they share the goal of reducing underage drinking and/or its related consequences, and will make the commitment to participate in the campaign to raise awareness and help carry out community-based strategies to prevent alcohol use. Organizational relationship examples are: > Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Agents > Community Task Force / Coalition on prevention of underage drinking > Grassroots organizations to prevent drunk driving > Youth leadership groups (Ex: Scouts, 4-H, Student Council, etc.) > Drug-Free youth clubs/organizations > Faith based youth clubs/organizations > Law enforcement 7 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Getting Started

14 > Court representatives > Parent organizations (Ex: PTA, Booster clubs, etc.) > Businesses > Media representatives (Ex: reporters) > Individuals interested in the prevention and/or community health issues > Medical community (Ex: pediatricians, hospital organized public health groups/committees/ coalitions, trauma or emergency room doctors/nurses) > Civic Groups (Ex: Urban League, Junior League, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club) > Traffic Safety Specialists What are your ideas for potential sponsoring organizations? See Appendix I for recommendations on strategies to develop partnerships for the campaign team. Action 2: Staff the Campaign Team 2 Because this project is youth led and adult supported, it is recommended the campaign team be staffed by youth leaders with an adult sponsor for support. The number of youth involved can vary based on the scope of the project (or strategy to be implemented), but should probably not be less than half a dozen youth. It is not uncommon to start out with 3-5 youth leaders with the team size increasing over time. The adult sponsor should lead the youth in terms of scheduling team meetings and work/task assignments, assist with maintaining accountability for timely completion of tasks, and provide overall guidance and assistance to the youth in executing campaign projects. The adult sponsor does not necessarily need to be affiliated with or an employee of the coordinating organization, but a clear working relationship between the adult sponsor and the coordinating organization would need to be established. Optimum skills/qualifications for adult project sponsor: Part time work commitment to the project (Ex: teacher, youth group leader, parent, etc.) Flexible ability to work weekends, evenings, summer Ability to meet deadlines and commit to being involved with the campaign long-term Commitment to the goals of the campaign (and strategies to be implemented) Strong knowledge of the community where the campaign will be implemented Experience working with teens; ability to support youth in their choices and leadership Relationship with sponsoring organization or willingness to develop relationship with sponsoring organization Self-directed for day-to-day operations, but project-focused at all times Strong time management skills Strong organizational skills Strong written and verbal communication skills Strong interpersonal skills Computer literate Ability to address cultural and language needs of community, including Spanish speakers Willing to submit to a criminal background check Potential adult sponsors if team does not currently have one: Getting Started Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 8

15 Optimum skills/qualifications for youth team members: Commitment to be tobacco-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free for the duration of their involvement in the campaign Ability to meet deadlines and see a project and strategies through to completion Ability to work as a team member with other students Creative Honest, dependable, responsible, and well respected by peers Energetic, enthusiastic, positive spirit Comfortable meeting the public and speaking to groups Strong interpersonal and leadership skills Interacts well with adults and peers Potential youth team members or ideas to recruit team members: Action 3: Host Training Provided by Texans Standing Tall 3 Texans Standing Tall can provide training on a comprehensive overview of the campaign as well on each step of the Action Manual. Please contact TST@ TexansStandingTall.org to schedule training, and a facilitator will come to your community. This is a great way to get best practices for the campaign and to determine if your organization is willing to commit to implementing the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Participants for this initial training include the Adult Sponsor, coordinating organization staff (optional), and 3-to-10 Core Youth Leaders for the project. As funding allows, TST will be able to provide promotional, informational, and educational materials to enhance your local Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign for those that sign a Memorandum of Understanding with TST indicating that they will work through each step of the Action Manual. To find out more about the available resources and memorandum of understanding process, contact the TST office at tst@texansstandingtall.org or call Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Getting Started

16 Action 4: Hold an Orientation and Planning Meeting Once the youth leaders and adult sponsor have been selected, hold an orientation and planning meeting. The adult sponsor should facilitate this meeting. Appendix 2 contains a sample agenda and suggested handouts/materials are included in this section. 4 Orientation and planning meeting: Prepare agenda (sample agenda provided in this section) Create a sign-in sheet to collect names, organizations, phone numbers, addresses, and street addresses Prepare and duplicate handouts (samples provided in this section) Purchase/gather supplies (pens, paper, folders) Prepare (or have on hand) a master calendar listing all holidays, school breaks and/or dates significant to the school and community for planning future meetings Supplies/Materials: Calendar* Sign-in Sheet (at least 2 copies)* Two-Pocket Folders (optional) Paper for note taking* Orientation and Planning Meeting Agenda Zero Alcohol for Youth What and Why Handout Why 21? - Arguments and Answers Handout An Environmental Approach Handout Strategic Prevention Framework Information Brief (a link for a downloadable handout is included in the resources list found earlier in this manual) Action Planning Worksheet Handout Project Brochure (see below for more details) *These materials will be needed for all meetings Project Brochure Texans Standing Tall will provide you with a brochure that describes the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. You will want to create a simple flyer or brochure about your group as well. The brochure and flyer are a quick way to introduce your group and your project to people who have no idea who you are or what your group is about. You will pass out the brochures and flyers to adults, such as community stakeholders, and youth who may want to join the team. Your flyer should be simple and uncluttered. You will want an uncluttered, easy to read design. Include your team name and logo (your youth group logo or the logo of your coordinating organization), if you have one. If you do not have one, you might consider creating one. KEY POINT Texans Standing Tall can offer training to help you brand your project and utilize the brand effectively. Your first impression is important, so work hard to communicate your ideas in everyday language that appeals to a broad range of people. Also, be sure to proofread, proofread, proofread! It s a good idea to have someone outside of your group review your flyer before you distribute it to make sure that it is understandable to people who are not involved in the campaign already. Getting Started Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 10

17 Things you want to be sure to include on your flyer are: 1. Who you are 2. What you are doing 3. Why it matters, why what you are doing is important 4. Contact information 5. At least one way that people youth and adults - can get involved Sample Agenda team orientation and planning meeting Sign-in, Welcome, and Introductions Overview of Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaigns Purpose: What and Why > Why 21? > An Environmental Approach Strategic Prevention Framework: STEPS of the Project Commitment: Sponsoring organization: one year; Youth: 9 months Create long-range timeline (Action Planning Worksheet) Develop flier describing youth team/organization Next steps Distribute promotional materials appropriate for team members Close meeting Statewide Support for your prevention efforts from Texans Standing Tall Texans Standing Tall (TST) provides support through technical assistance and training to coalitions and community groups working on prevention projects throughout Texas. The members of TST recognize the importance of the laws to curb underage alcohol use and to reduce the alcohol-related consequences. As a result, Texans Standing Tall developed this campaign with input from communities across Texas. Originally called the What Part of Zero Don t You Understand? campaign, young people used the project kit to conduct campaigns in their communities. Now updated to keep pace with current prevention best practices, you can use this Action Manual and the materials to conduct the five steps of the Zero Alcohol for Youth campaign in your community. 11 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Getting Started

18 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING TO STEP ONE Use this checklist to determine if you re ready to move to the next step in the Zero Alcohol for Youth campaign. Note the date your team completed the following tasks: Date Task Began the process of asking for support from appropriate agencies, organizations and individuals in the community? Chose a coordinating agency or organization. Name of organization: Chose an adult project sponsor. Name of adult sponsor: Selected youth leaders to carry out the project. Developed a flyer to share information about your project Held an orientation and planning meeting. Began the process of asking for support from appropriate agencies, organizations and individuals in the community. If you ve completed all of the steps in the Getting Started phase, you re ready to move to Step One: Assessment Collecting Data to Understand the Problem. Notes Getting Started Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 12

19 Step One: Assessment - Collecting Data to Understand the Problem In Step One you will be collecting data and gathering baseline information on the problem of underage drinking and its consequences in your local area. Baseline data are statistics that provide a starting point for comparison with other data collected at a later point in time. You will also be collecting information on local policies and surveying attitudes and opinions from four target groups: peers/students and school personnel; parents and other community members; law enforcement; and the judicial system (judges and prosecutors). Why should you collect data, solicit opinions, and prepare a report? It helps in understanding the issue of underage drinking in your community. This includes youth use rates, statistics on consequences, and information on attitudes and acceptance. It shows community knowledge of underage drinking laws and attitudes toward enforcing the laws. It shows adults that you ve done your research and that there is a basis for action. It is a way to showcase the positive things happening in your community. It gives you a starting point for prevention planning that is individualized to the needs of your community. Action 1: Collect Local Data Types of Data to Look For 1 Since you are taking an environmental, community-based approach to preventing underage drinking, you need to collect community-based data about the environment that accepts and/or allows underage drinking to continue. You will want information not only about the rates at which youth are using alcohol and the consequences, but also about the factors in the community that are connected to why underage drinking occurs. These are called intervening variables or causal factors. Intervening variables are the things that are happening in your community that make underage drinking and the serious consequences that result from it possible. Each intervening variable is connected with research-based environmental strategies to create community change. Therefore, by identifying the intervening variables and what they look like in your community, you will be able to select strategies that have evidence of effectiveness. 13 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

20 Researchers have identified seven commonly occurring intervening variables, but they may look different in different communities. See the table below for the intervening variables, as well as some examples of what they might look like in a community. Intervening Variable Examples of how it may occur in a community Low enforcement a. Lack of law enforcement resources or training b. Inconsistent enforcement practices (such as infrequent compliance checks, inconsistent DWI/DUI enforcement) c. Inconsistent judicial practice (no prosecution, lack of legal consequences for offenses which are cited by law enforcement) Easy retail access a. Use of fake ID s b. Retailers do not comply with the law (which could be due to lack of knowledge or a low perceived risk of consequences for selling to minors) c. Density of retail alcohol outlets (i.e., lots of restaurants, bars and stores selling alcohol in one area) Easy social access a. Parents provide alcohol to minors. b. Older friends or siblings purchase alcohol and give it to minors. c. Unsupervised parties with alcohol present, which was provided by an adult of legal age. d. Adults are unaware of the laws regarding providing alcohol to minors. Social norms a. Family acceptance of drinking b. Youth drinking alcohol is considered a rite of passage c. Youth perceptions that drinking is cool or everyone is doing it. Low perceived risk a. Lack of knowledge of health and safety consequences b. Low perception of getting in trouble, either with law enforcement or parents. Low or discount pricing a. Happy hour b. Drink specials such as Ladies drink free. Promotion a. Events that are sponsored by alcohol companies As you can see, they often overlap and one situation could fall under several intervening variables. This is good because it allows you to select strategies that will affect more than one intervening variable and have greater impact with limited resources. Keep these intervening variables in mind as you collect data, particularly the first five. Pricing and promotion are much more difficult to address at a community level, particularly in Texas where the ability of local governments to make policies is limited by the State Legislature. Don t let these intervening variables overwhelm you. As you collect data you will notice that your data align with the intervening variables. Be sure to remember that it is okay if you do not have data about every single intervening variable. Here s a list of several types of statistics that could give you a good community snapshot of the issues related to underage drinking: Underage drinking/driving (DUI) violations Minor in Possession (MIP) violations Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 14

21 Misrepresentation of Age violations (Using a Fake ID) Youth Attempts to Purchase Alcohol violations Selling Alcohol to Minors violations Providing Alcohol to Minors violations Discipline records from school districts (PEIMS data) Findings from local school student surveys and comparisons to state and regional data Number of cases of alcohol poisoning Number of child fatalities attributed to alcohol use Youth alcohol use rates and other school survey data Because data are collected in a variety of ways by different agencies in Texas (and even locally), you may want to focus on a few key pieces of local data on underage drinking that you think will most effectively present the scope of your local problem. You might also gather a list of state laws and local ordinances involving underage drinking. These include but are not limited to: Sale/provision of alcohol by adults to minors Beverage license suspension of establishments that sell to minors Local ordinances, such as open container laws or alcohol-free zones near schools Limitations on sales of alcohol or alcohol marketing at community events/festivals Where to Start Your Search Here is a list of organizations and agencies that may have the data you are looking for: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Texas Department of State Health Service (DSHS) Local police departments Local sheriff s offices Local school district police departments Local school district Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinators Local hospitals/injury prevention centers Several state agencies have regional offices that collect local data. Locate these agencies regional offices by searching the Internet. You can also contact other individual state agency headquarters in Austin by telephone for regional office locations. Who Should You Contact It is recommended that your search for local law enforcement data begin with these specific agencies/personnel: Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission regional office Regional traffic safety specialist of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Local police and sheriff departments/offices School-based drug and alcohol surveys are an excellent source of data on student use rates, perceptions, attitudes, and information on how students access alcohol. If your school already conducts a drug and alcohol survey (such as the Texas School Survey or the Youth Risk Behavior Survey), check with your school district for the results. If your school does not do a survey, you can get information on regional and statewide use rates from the Texas School Survey at the Texas Department of State Health Services Web site ( Of course, local data is the first choice, but regional data can be a useful starting point. 15 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

22 When you contact different agencies about data, tell them that you are looking for the person who handles their Public Information requests. The personnel at these agencies should be able to provide information on the type of data collected in your community, where to get it, and how best to access it. How to Collect Data Be inquisitive and get creative! Use the Data Collection Process/Script located at the end of this section of the manual as your guide to contacting agencies and finding out what s out there. Then use the Data Collection Record (also located at the end of this section) to record your progress. Although most of the information you are seeking is considered public domain, remember that many agencies are protective of their data. Be persistent, but always courteous. You may also find a great variance in the manner in which data are collected. Remember to document that aspect too as an important indicator to include in your community report. Many larger agencies now have their data available on their Web site. Look for public information sections or search the site for the specific information you are seeking. Remember to document not only the data you receive but how you requested and received the information. This will be useful as you evaluate and monitor your progress. It will also be helpful if you ever want to repeat your assessment. Texans Standing Tall offers trainings to help with each Step of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. tst@texansstandingtall.org for more information and a complete training list. Action 2: Gather Attitudes/Opinions There are two recommended methods for gathering opinions and attitudes from individuals in your community: focus groups and written surveys. Focus groups are 2 small gatherings of individuals who are asked for their opinions in a structured meeting and are usually conducted by a facilitator. Surveys are written questionnaires that ask specific questions and require individual written responses. Both of these methods are different from data collection because they do not involve hard figures but are instead a sampling of knowledge, attitudes or perspectives. Conducting Focus Groups Detailed information about how to conduct focus groups and sample focus group questions are provided at the end of this section of the manual. Focus Group Process and Focus Group Procedures will guide you in conducting focus groups. Also included are sample Focus Group Questions targeted to specific groups, including: Focus Group Questions for Peers/Students (other youth) Focus Group Questions for School Personnel Focus Group Questions for Parents/Community Spanish Language Focus Group Questions for Parents/Community Written Questions for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community Focus Groups Spanish Language Written Questions for Peers/Students, Parents/Community Focus Groups Answer Key for Written Questions for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community Focus Groups Focus Group Questions for Law Enforcement Focus Group Questions for Members of the Judicial System Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 16

23 Sometimes getting people together for a focus group can be challenging. If you think you ll have only one shot to get the specific target groups together, consider conducting the written surveys only (see below) for your baseline report, then use the focus group questions as a part of the discussion during your engagement meetings in Step Two Building Capacity. Distributing/Collecting Written Surveys Surveys that solicit written responses from people are another means of capturing attitudes and opinions. The difference between surveys and focus groups is that surveys capture individual responses and are not conducted in a group setting where others opinions are known or shared. This section of the manual contains a guide for conducting surveys, titled Survey Procedures. The surveys in this project are designed to be administered in person or mailed along with a cover letter and a form to collect statistics on the type of person responding. You will find sample surveys and cover letters targeted to specific group at the end of this section, including: Survey Cover Letter for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community Spanish Survey Cover Letter for Peers/Students, or Parents/Community Survey for Peers/Students Survey for School Personnel Survey for Parents/Community Members Spanish Survey for Parents/Community Members Survey Demographic Info Insert (for all target groups) Spanish Survey Demographic Info Insert for Peers/Students or Parents/Community Survey Cover Letter for Law Enforcement, Members of the Judicial System Survey for Law Enforcement Survey for Members of the Judicial System You will use surveys in a couple of different ways: (1) At the beginning of your campaign, as described in Step One, to gain a sampling of community attitudes, knowledge, and opinions to help you begin thinking about the most effective campaign to conduct in your community; and (2) At the end of a specific project(s) to determine knowledge gained by the community as a result of your campaign, as described in Step Five - Evaluation. To use the survey as an evaluation tool, you would need to conduct the survey before your campaign (at this Step in your project), and then again after your campaign (in Step Five Evaluation). Then compare the responses before and after. To get a true measurement of change, you need to survey the same target group before and after the campaign. Be aware that using surveys as an evaluation tool may require more resources (paper, postage, labor in distributing and tabulating responses, etc.). Obtaining Print Copies of Laws and Ordinances To obtain copies of the actual state laws concerning underage drinking, the Internet can be a valuable resource. Chapter 106 of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code contains the Zero Tolerance Law and other provisions related to underage drinking and providing alcohol to minors. You can find the text of Chapter 106 at statutes.legis.state.tx.us/docs/al/htm/al.106.htm. To obtain copies of local ordinances, contact your city government or Mayor s office. 17 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

24 Obtaining information about licensed alcohol retail outlets You might also consider visiting several stores and restaurants in your community and taking note of the placement and pricing of alcohol products as well as the promotion. A variety of different surveys are available. For more information about these surveys, contact Texans Standing Tall at tst@texansstandingtall.org. Action 3: Prepare a Baseline Report Your next action to take is to prepare a report summarizing information you ve uncovered during your research and data collection process. This report will be a useful resource to inform others about the underage drinking issues in your community. To begin, hold a team meeting to look at the data you ve collected and the results of your focus groups and surveys. Then plan your report based on the team s discussion of the following questions: 3 What did we find out? What are the most important points we want our community to know? Does the information we ve uncovered point to any trends in the community? Does the information show a need that our campaign could address? In addition to the negative things we ve uncovered, are there some positives? Are there gaps in data information we weren t able to find or collect? Were there difficulties in gathering data/opinions? > What were they? Where were they? (Take care in deciding whether to include these in the report.) What s the best way to present this information? (Some of your options include a 2-3 page executive summary, bar charts or graphs, and PowerPoint presentations.) What actions will team members take on to put the report together? (Consider the better writers or anyone who has experience in creating graphic design for visuals of your information.) Decide who should review the report before it is presented to the public. The reviewer can help you win friends and influence people for the campaign. Do not worry if you were unable to get data on all of the intervening variables or even if you are missing big pieces of the puzzle. There are many different reasons data is unavailable, and those reasons also help tell the story of your community. Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 18

25 Data Collection Process/Script SUGGESTED PROCESS/SCRIPT FOR CONTACTING/VISITING LOCAL DATA SOURCES: Upon first contact, ask to be connected to the department that handles statistics associated with youth and alcohol use. You may be transferred to a number of people, but be persistent! When you think you ve made contact with the person who can help you, use the following script as a guide. Introduction: Hello, my name is. I am a student/member of and am involved in a very important project. We are collecting local data and statistics involving minors and alcohol and I am contacting/visiting you to ask for your help. What type of data does your agency/ department/organization collect? (Wait for answer). Investigation: From there, further investigate by asking more specific questions for information, such as... How is the data collected? What time frame does it cover? What does the data capture? Is this a report (or data collected) that is required by your agency/department/organization? Is this public information? What is the title of the report? Ask your own investigative questions to help you narrow down what the agency has to offer. Take notes! Closure: How do I go about receiving a copy of this data/report? Important - don t ask if you can have a copy and run the risk of getting a No answer. Counter any resistance by courteously reminding him/her that it is public information (if so). My name and address/ is. (Be prepared with your school s/ organization s name and address/ , which gives a more professional impression.) Or...if your contact cannot produce what you are looking for... Can you refer me to anyone else who may have minors and alcohol data? (Record name). What agency/organization is he/she with? (Record answer). Do you have a telephone number for him/her? (Record number). I appreciate your time - you ve been most helpful. (Say so, even if he/she wasn t!) If you run across any data that you think would be helpful to me in the future, please let me know by calling me, (restate your name) at (school/organization phone number). THANK YOU! Note: If you are looking for a specific statistic, such as Minors in Possession violations for one year, you can contact individual law enforcement agencies, ask to speak to the person who handles public information requests, and put in a formal request for that specific information. However, the above script is useful for obtaining different types of information and fishing for what an agency has available on record. 19 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

26 Agency/Organization Contact Name or Web Site Address DATA COLLECTION RECORD Contact Phone Number/ Date of Search/Contact Type of Data Requested What did you find out? Initials Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 20

27 Focus Group Process Preparing for focus groups within your target audiences involves planning and careful selection of the members of the group. The following guidelines can help. Peers/Students and School Personnel Groups First, the Adult Sponsor should take the lead on identifying the places, dates, and times to hold a focus group by contacting school administrators. The administrators can then help pick participants. Who should participate in the Peer/Student Group? 8-10 students or other youth. (Include males and females and try to get a variety of races, grade levels, academic levels, interests, and social groups.) Who should participate in the School Personnel Group? 5-7 adults: one teacher from each grade level (not health teacher); the highest-ranking administrator possible (principal is strongly suggested); one student support staff person (such as a counselor, nurse); and one facility-support staff person (such as a custodian, bus driver, or cafeteria worker). Parents/Community Group Select a location in the community where a group meets or can easily come together (such as a church, community center, PTA). Ask a parent or community member to help you identify a group of 8-10 participants, at least half of whom should be parents (and at least some parents of teenagers). The group should, if possible, represent the different ethnic groups of the community, have about the same number of men and women, and include a variety of ages. You may want to hold multiple group meetings if you are unable to get representation from the community by holding only one meeting. Law Enforcement Group Ideally, this group should have a representative of each of the following agencies: each police department within the project area, the local sheriff s office, school district police departments and the Department of Public Safety. Caution: these representatives should not be persons who specialize in underage drinking issues nor be identified as experts on these issues. You are looking for general attitudes within this target population participation by specialists will throw off your results! Note: law enforcement agencies follow a chain of command, so approval to participate may need to come from a commanding officer. Judicial System (Judges/Prosecutors) The ideal group within these two target populations should have three members of the judiciary (judges) and three from prosecution (attorneys that try to convict accused persons). When selecting your group members, first identify the courts that hear cases related to underage drinking and the enforcement of related laws. This way you will invite the appropriate judges and prosecutors to participate. Remember-- judges and prosecutors operate under a court schedule. Most likely you will need to meet according to their schedules and locations. You may even have to do it in two groups: one focus group for judges, and one for prosecutors. For this reason, it may be necessary for these focus groups to be conducted by those youth leaders who have permission to leave school for activities such as these. 21 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

28 Focus Group Procedures Roles to be filled by Team Members: Staff for registration/welcome table Person to give a welcome Youth facilitator to conduct the session and ask the questions Person to record participant responses Person to observe and record participant body language and nonverbal responses Person to distribute written questionnaires (if applicable) Timekeeper for session Adult sponsor to monitor group Note: The same person may do more than one role. However, one person cannot do all roles. Materials needed: Sign-in sheets Pens Name tags or name plates for table Markers (for registration) Written questionnaires (for the peers/students, school personnel, and parents/community focus groups only), one per person (if applicable) Appendix 2 Notepads for recording responses Notepads and pens for participants Water for everyone Clip boards A. Registration Have participants sign in - very important! Have participants fill out and put on nametag or set name plate in front of them if sitting around a table (facilitator needs to know names of participants) B. Group Process OPENING CONDUCTED BY FACILITATOR AND/OR TEAM MEMBER DOING WELCOME: Welcome participants, explains why we are here/what the purpose is. Covers procedure for group process (what is going to happen) and the ground rules for operation. GROUND RULES: We are trying to capture individual opinions and views. When a question is asked, please share the answer that first pops into your head. You will hear the others responses, but try not to let that influence your own answers. There are no right or wrong answers. What we want is your own individual opinion. If you refer to specific incidents in your answers, please do NOT use names of specific people. Keep others names general. What is shared among the participants is for the use of this project. In order to acquire the information we need, it is important participants feel comfortable speaking up. Please respect others comments. Only one person speaks at a time. No interrupting. Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 22

29 PROCESS: There will be a series of questions asked. Each person will have an opportunity to answer each question. We will rotate who answers first each time. As you speak, someone will be recording your responses in writing. Names will not be recorded next to your answers. Each person will have up to three minutes to respond. A timekeeper will keep track of when your response time is up and will give you a one minute signal. The facilitator will ask each question and round robin the responses. If a person needs the question repeated when it is their turn that is perfectly fine. The Team has an adult sponsor serving as support as/if needed. This person will not be answering or asking questions. WRITTEN RESPONSES: Focus groups of peers/students, school personnel, and parents/community will also be asked to complete a short written questionnaire at the end of the session. These should be completed silently per individual and collected by a team member. SUMMARIZING THE RESULTS: Be sure to record the date, location and type of focus group. An assigned person records verbal responses from focus group members by hand-written notes, then later on a computer (if available). Under each question, list all responses, using bullets. If multiple participants repeat a response, without variation, you may asterisk or otherwise note the response to show that several people agreed. Written responses (for the peers/students, school personnel, and parents/community groups only) should also be tabulated and compared with the answer key for accuracy. Note: for the parent/community group, Spanish-speaking staff should be available. If it is known at the beginning that there are Spanish language participants, there should be a facilitator to conduct all procedures for them in Spanish. It may be easier to have one facilitator for the English and one for the Spanish, to take turns speaking. It may be easier to hold separate Spanish and English focus groups for the parent/community population. 23 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

30 Survey Procedures The distribution and tabulation of surveys is a big project. It is important to decide how it is going to happen and who will do what by when. Surveys can be distributed and collected in a variety of ways including in person by getting permission to request survey completion outside of a popular location like a grocery store or by mail. The Team will need to determine how they will distribute surveys and the locations likely to generate greater numbers of people completing surveys. Keep good records. Record how many surveys were distributed to each site, the date(s) they were distributed and to whom, and how many were returned from each group. Distribution/Collection of Surveys Surveys can be distributed at locations you ve identified in your work plan. As you ve already determined, they can be mailed back or dropped in a central predetermined collection point. Another option (and one that may increase your response rate) is to ask a key contact person to distribute surveys and collect completed surveys to return to you. As they are collected/returned, record the date you receive each survey. You may also consider having an option for an online survey. With services like you can put short surveys online, with up to 100 respondents at no cost. Online surveys can be promoted through or social networking sites like Facebook. Yet another option is to set up a table at a shopping center or outside of a store. You encourage people walking by to complete your survey for the benefit of the Campaign and preventing youth alcohol use. This activity is low cost but requires a team to staff the table. It also requires developing a pitch to engage someone in completing your survey. Texans Standing Tall offers training on how to develop a pitch as well as how to distribute and collect surveys. Preparation of Materials After you ve determined where you distribute surveys you ll need to assemble materials. Select the sample cover letter from this manual appropriate for the different target populations. Retype the cover letter, adding the specific information called for in the sample. Select the master copies of the survey forms for each target population you ll need to copy, and decide how many of each piece you ll need. (Note: make sure you don t permanently remove the master copies from the manual.) Appendix 2 Select the demographic info insert page (English or Spanish language). Appendix 2 Photocopy all necessary pages. If you plan to ask for surveys to be completed in a public venue you will need: > Permission to table and collect surveys at the location > Clipboards > Pens > Chairs > Water and snacks for people staffing table > Campaign materials to educate about ZAYC and your Team. Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 24

31 If you plan to ask for surveys by return mail: > Obtain envelopes > Stamp or label with the return address > (Optional) Apply return postage to the envelopes. (This will increase the chances of return, but it is an additional expense.) Locations and Recommended Sample Size Peers/Students: at selected high schools ( ) School Personnel: at selected high schools ( ) Parents/Community: various key locations throughout the community ( ) Police: each law enforcement agency in your project area ( ) Judges: directed to those in your project area with jurisdiction over underage drinking cases Prosecutors: directed at those in your project area with responsibility for underage drinking cases Summarizing the Responses: Have an organized approach to tabulating survey responses. In your work plan, some Team members should agree to be responsible for the development of response spreadsheets for tallying each target population s survey forms. After all tabulations are completed, hold a team meeting to discuss the findings and how the results will be included in a report. 25 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

32 SAMPLE SURVEY COVER LETTER PEERS/STUDENTS OR SCHOOL PERSONNEL OR PARENTS/COMMUNITY We are youth leaders in the XYZ Coalition (the name of your youth group) that works to prevent underage drinking in our community. We are working on a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign because we know that underage drinking is a problem in our community, and we want to do something about it. Did you know that Texas leads the nation in fatalities due to alcohol-related crashes, including those involving underage drinkers? Texas loses more of its citizens per year to underage drinking and driving than any other state in the country. (You may also want to include any compelling local statistics you may have found during Action 1.) The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign is geared toward community-based strategies. Rather than educating individuals, we will work on changing the systems in our community that make underage drinking acceptable or alcohol more available. In the first step of our project, we are collecting information to help us understand the current level of awareness regarding underage drinking laws and to examine attitudes toward underage drinking in our community. If mailed: We have enclosed a brief survey for you to complete to help us gather this information. Please return it to us in the enclosed self-addressed envelope by (4-5 day turnaround from date it is to be mailed). (Prepare return envelopes with address and name of individual to whom it is to be sent.) If distributed: The following page is a brief survey for you to complete to help us gather this information. Please return it to us by (method of collection) by (due date). If distributed electronically: We would like to ask you to complete this brief survey (insert link to survey), which can be found at (give url for survey). It should only take a few minutes of your time. Thank you very much for your time, and we look forward to receiving your information very soon. Sincerely, (Your Name) Youth Leader Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 26

33 EJEMPLO DE CARTA DE PRESENTACIÓN DE LA ENCUESTA ALUMNOS O PERSONAL DE ESCUELA O PADRES/MIEMBROS DE LA COMUNIDAD Somos jóvenes participantes en Qué Parte de Cero No Entiendes? un proyecto para prevenir el uso de bebidas alcohólicas por menores de edad. Esperamos que este proyecto sea de ayuda para imponer las leyes sobre la consumición de bebidas alcohólicas por menores de edad. Es posible que usted no sepa que Texas es el estado que tiene lo más muertes cada año por causa de choques automovilísticos relacionados con el uso de bebidas alcohólicas, al igual que choques por menores de edad bajo la influencia de bebidas alcohólicas. Texas pierde mas jóvenes menores de edad por choques automovilísticos relacionados con el uso de bebidas alcohólicas que ningún otro estado. El Departamento de Transporte de Texas (TxDOT), está realizando este proyecto para desarrollar más conocimiento de la ley sobre cero tolerancia. Como jóvenes participantes en el proyecto, estamos desarrollando la campaña para aumentar el conocimiento de esta ley en (nombre de la comunidad). Nuestra meta es reducir el número de víctimas de incidentes trágicos relacionados con el alcohol cada año. En la primera fase de nuestra campaña coleccionáremos información que nos ayudará a comprender el nivel actual de conocimiento en nuestra comunidad sobre la ley de cero tolerancia, y también examinaremos las opiniones y actitudes hacia el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas por menores de edad. Para llevar esto a cabo, le acompañamos con esta carta un breve cuestionario para que complete y nos lo devuelva en el sobre estampado con nuestra dirección antes de (fecha de vencimiento). Si se distribuye: Favor de devolver el cuestionario (método de distribución) antes del (fecha de vencimiento). Gracias por su cooperación y anticiparemos recibir su información. Sinceramente, Joven Participante Qué Parte de Cero No Entiendes? 27 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

34 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING FROM STEP ONE TO STEP TWO Use this checklist to determine if you re ready to move to the next step in the Zero Alcohol for Youth project. Note the date your team completed the following tasks: Date Task Gathered a variety of local statistics regarding underage drinking and the enforcement of zero tolerance laws? Conducted focus groups with peers/students? Conducted focus groups with parents? Conducted focus groups with school personnel? Conducted focus groups with community members? Conducted focus groups with law enforcement? Conducted focus groups with members of the judicial system? Recorded responses from all focus groups? Distributed surveys to peers/students? Distributed surveys to school personnel? Distributed surveys to parents and members of the community? Distributed surveys to law enforcement personnel? Distributed surveys to members of the judicial system? Collected surveys from peers/students? Collected surveys from school personnel? Collected surveys from parents and members of the community? Collected surveys from law enforcement personnel? Collected surveys from members of the judicial system? Tabulated responses from all surveys? Held a team meeting to discuss information from data collection, focus groups and surveys? Held a team meeting to discuss the content and format of a community report? Prepared the report? Received input on the report from supporters before it is presented to the public? (Recommended) If you ve completed everything for Step One, you re ready to move to Step Two: Building Capacity Notes: Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 28

35 Agency/Organization Contact name or Web Site Address DATA COLLECTION RECORD Contact Phone Number/ Date of Search/ Contact Type of Data Requested What did you find out? Initials 29 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step One

36 CREATE YO.00UR FUTURE Step One Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 30

37 Step Two: Building Capacity by Engaging Community Support Once you have completed Step One and prepared your baseline report, you are ready to proceed to Step Two. You will be talking about what you learned in Step One and inviting people to join you in your prevention efforts. You will meet with groups who may already be working on underage drinking issues as well as groups who may not be aware of the problem in their community. Adults recognize that young people have a unique perspective on what is going on in your community, and you can be a powerful voice in bringing adults out of their denial of the problem and help them to see what is really there. You have the data, now is the time to make it known! Whether your Team is part of a larger coalition or an independent group of young people with adult support, your process in this step is essentially the same. You know there is a problem with underage drinking in your community. You know that the best way to address it is in a community-wide effort with support from all sectors of the community youth, parents, media, faith-based community, schools, law enforcement, judiciary, etc. Now is the time to make your voice heard! If your youth group is part of a larger coalition of adults, you will be able to build on the existing capacity of that coalition and find ways to combine your efforts to make a larger impact on the community. It is likely that the larger coalition has done their own assessment and found similar needs in the community. However, don t depend on the adult coalition to be your only supporters -- get out there and engage new community partners! By holding community meetings, you will be educating your local community stakeholders, raising awareness about underage drinking issues in your community, introducing them to the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign, and inviting them to join you in your efforts. You will host meetings for two distinct purposes: KEY POINT 1) Raising Awareness Meetings: for educating the general public, most of whom have little knowledge about underage drinking, and 2) Engaging Coalition Partners Meetings: to bring together people who are already knowledgeable about underage drinking issues and inviting them to be involved in your community efforts. The procedures for both groups are similar and are outlined in the Meeting Process section of this step. The only difference will be in the information you present and your ask for those attending. With both groups, think ahead of time about how you want participants to be involved in your campaign efforts. 31 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Two

38 Raising Awareness Meetings You ll want to invite people from all different parts of your community parents, teachers and other school personnel, students, law enforcement, judges, media, church groups, civic clubs, etc. You can bring everyone together for a big meeting or hold separate meetings for groups with similar interests. For example, have one group meeting just for parents as well as ask to make a presentation at a Kiwanis Club or Rotary meeting. You will: give everyone a reason to care about your issue, introduce them to the dangers and consequences of underage alcohol use and related behaviors, tell them about the local data and information you have collected, and invite them to be involved in your efforts. Engaging Coalition Partners Meetings You will invite people who already recognize that underage alcohol use is a problem. This could be the drug counselor at your school, someone from a treatment center, law enforcement, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents, concerned parents and individuals in the community. You won t need to introduce them to underage drinking as an issue to care about. You will: present the local data and information you gathered, talk about the problems you see in your community every day, educate them about environmental, community-based prevention, suggest specific ways they can partner with you, and invite them to be a part of solving the problem with you (this is an ask ). Why should you engage others in your community? Underage drinking is a community problem and requires a response from the entire community. The target groups identified in the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign (other youth, adults who work in the schools, parents, members of the community, law enforcement, judges and prosecutors) play a special role in addressing this problem. Action 1: Schedule Meetings, Put Together an Invitation Plan and Invitation List 1 When /Where Should the Meetings Be Held? If you ve not already put it into your plan during your orientation and planning meeting, decide on the date, time, and place the engagement meetings will be held. Designate a person or committee to: Make sure the facility is convenient (parking, access) to participants. Make sure the facility can accommodate the number of people you want to invite. Make sure the facility is available at the time you want to hold your meeting. Check with the facility contact regarding any policies for use of the facility (do they allow food and drinks for example). Collect site information for the invitation letter (address, phone number and map if necessary). Step Two Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 32

39 Make sure the facility has the audiovisual equipment you might need to present your baseline report from Step One. Make sure the equipment works and that your designated staff knows how to operate it. Write down the name, phone number and of the contact person for the facility Check with the facility contact the day before the meeting to make sure it and the equipment is reserved. Conduct a walk through the day before or earlier. Who Should Be Invited? An ideal number for an engagement group is between six and fifteen. Look for people from each target group who: Are committed to making a difference in their community. Have influence over others (in a positive way). Are willing to give their support and time to the underage drinking issue (especially among coalition partners). Hold a planning meeting to brainstorm an invitation list of people who should be invited within each target group for both Raising Awareness Meetings and Engaging Coalition Partners Meetings. Decide how these people will be invited. (A sample letter is included in this section of the manual.) Decide who will do the inviting and when they will do it. Invite participants at least two weeks in advance. Action 2: Plan the Meeting Although you will be conducting meetings with different target groups, the process will be the same for each group. Several pieces are provided in this section of the manual to guide you in conducting the engagement meetings. These are: Meeting Procedures (including discussion questions) Meeting Agenda Commitment Form 2 Materials to be used in this step are: The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign brochure and any information identifying your youth team (if appropriate) Sign-in Sheet A 1-2 page summary of your Baseline Report that you created in Step One. This will be a valuable handout for attendees to refer to and a good takeaway. Commitment form Underage drinking prevention handouts - Contact your region s Prevention Resource Center for resources. You will find that they have a variety of handouts available for free. ( tx.us/sa/prc/) Promotional items appropriate for the meeting Strategic Prevention Framework Information Brief (Appendix 1) Environmental Strategies handout (Appendix 1) Preview and select a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign video appropriate for the audience. 33 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Two

40 Action 3: Conduct the Meeting Follow the Meeting Procedures, making sure everyone on the Team knows the role that he or she will play during the meeting. The general parts of the meeting include: Welcome/Introductions Brief Overview of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign and Objectives Video Viewing Group Discussion Presentation of Baseline Report Commitment Request of Attendees (Your Ask) 3 Meeting Procedures PERSONS NEEDED: Person(s) for registration table and to take notes during the meeting Persons who will responsible for conducting parts of the meeting MATERIALS NEEDED: Pens, paper for participant note-taking Flip chart paper and tape for posting on the wall (if allowed) Sign-in sheet, pens Meeting Agenda (one per person or write out on large paper) Commitment Form (one per person) Appendix page summary of your baseline report (one per person) Zero Alcohol for Youth Video Any resources you collected from your local Prevention Resource Center or TABC office. EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Laptop, Projector, flash drive with your presentation on it Any other audiovisual equipment you plan to use during the presentation of the baseline report PREPARATION NEEDED: Designate who will do what Assign a Team member to take notes on the discussions, including questions asked by the audience Duplicate agenda or write out on flip chart paper for posting during the meeting Sign in sheet (Optional) Write out Project Steps on flip chart paper. Duplicate commitment forms and 1-2 page summary of baseline report Gather materials Select and review video to be shown Registration Have participants sign in - very important!! (This allows you to be able to follow-up after the meeting) Give participants packet of material (except those items you plan to distribute during or at the end of the meeting) Step Two Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 34

41 Conduct the Meeting Follow the agenda that is provided in this section of the manual. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS: Welcome everyone and introduce the Campaign Team. Then ask everyone to state their name, why they ve attended, and what organization they represent. Provide a short overview of the campaign steps and what you hope to accomplish. Emphasize that in this step (Step Two) your team will be holding meetings like this one with the other target groups (peers/students, school personnel, parents/community members, law enforcement, and members of the judicial system) to establish project partners from ALL segments of the community. INTRODUCE AND SHOW THE VIDEO: Begin by saying something like, We ve invited you here because you ve all been identified as persons who care about this community, and we d like you to be our partners in taking a close look at the underage drinking problem in this community as well as working with us on a solution. Please join us in viewing a short video about the issue... GENERATE A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE VIDEO: Ask questions such as: What did you learn in this video that you did not know? Were you surprised by information in this video? Are there issues like these in our community? What can we do in our community to prevent underage drinking? PRESENT THE BASELINE REPORT: Present the baseline report you put together in Step One. After the presentation, ask if the audience has any questions. Take notes on questions asked. This will help you be prepared if the questions come up again in the other engagement group meetings. ASK FOR/OBTAIN COMMITMENT FROM ATTENDEES: Begin this part of the meeting by saying something like, We ve told you about our campaign, shown you some data we ve collected from our community, and shared with you some opinions we ve collected from people throughout the community. We are asking you to be involved, along with other community partners, and commit to this campaign to find solutions to the problem of underage drinking. Will you participate by helping us create community change? Get their commitment by asking all attendees to fill out the commitment form, adding phone, fax and information. Be sure to also ask them to suggest in writing other people (and how to contact them) who should be involved. Collect the Commitment Forms. ADJOURN: Thank participants for attending. Remind them that they are part of the process that will involve engaging other targeted groups from the community who will come together to plan strategies and next steps. Provide appropriate campaign materials so that participants can promote, inform, and educate others about the Zero Alcohol for Your Campaign. Adjourn the meeting, telling people that you will be in contact with them as the campaign moves forward. FOLLOW UP: Remember to hold a team meeting to discuss how the meeting went as described in Action Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Two

42 Action 4: Discuss and Evaluate the Meetings Hold a meeting of the Campaign Team after each engagement group meeting, 4 discussing items such as: Did the right people show up? Who wasn t there that needed to be? How high was the interest level of the attendees? Who from the meeting can we count on to be involved in our campaign? How did the discussion go after the video was shown? What points were raised during the discussion? How did the attendees respond to our baseline report? What questions were asked about our baseline report? Who on our team will be responsible for putting together a list of those who want to be involved after this point? Engagement Group Meeting Agenda I. Welcome and Introductions II. Campaign Overview III. Video and Discussion IV. Community Baseline Report Presentation V. Commitment to the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign VI. Distribute educational and Campaign materials VII. Adjourn Step Two Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 36

43 SAMPLE RAISING COALITION PARTNERS INVITATION LETTER We are youth leaders of a local project aimed at preventing underage drinking in our community called the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. It is part of a campaign initially developed by Texans Standing Tall with support of The Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. We hope this campaign will increase awareness of underage drinking and the serious consequences that result from it and encourage every segment of the community to understand their part in supporting strategies to create a healthier and safer community. We have already completed the first step of our project in which we collected information regarding local underage drinking statistics and gathered opinions from a number of targeted groups: peers/students, school personnel, parents/community members, law enforcement and members of the judicial system. As a result of our community assessment, we have prepared a baseline report that we d like to share with you. We are now in the process of engaging community partners in our project. Your name was given to us as a person who is committed to making a difference in this community on the underage drinking issue. Because of that, we d like you to join us for a meeting so that we can tell you more about the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign, share our community report, and get your ideas on how we might impact the underage drinking problem in our community. PLEASE JOIN US! (You can modify this paragraph for Raising Awareness meetings) Sincerely, (Name) Youth Leader Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Our meeting will be held on: Date: Time - From: To: Place: Address : (of meeting facility) Phone: (number of meeting facility) RSVP: Please let us know if you ll be able to attend by returning the bottom portion of this letter by faxing to (fax number) or calling (phone number) or ing by (date). Yes, I will attend the Zero Alcohol for Youth meeting on (date) No, I will be unable to attend the Zero Alcohol for Youth meeting on (date) but would like to be kept informed of the progress of your project. Name: Address: Phone: Fax: 37 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Two

44 COMMITMENT FORM Yes! I will join (Your Group s Name) in preventing underage drinking in my community! Please keep me updated on your meetings and let me know how I can help! Name: Phone Number: Address: Address: Sector represented (check all that apply): r Parents r School r Youth r Faith Based r Business r Media r Health Care Professional r Government r Law Enforcement r Youth-serving Organization r Civic/Volunteer Group r Other Step Two Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 38

45 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING FROM STEP TWO TO STEP THREE Use this checklist to determine if you re ready to move to the next step in the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Note the date your team completed the following Actions: Date Task Put together an invitation plan and an invitation list for all engagement groups? Invited persons to the engagement meetings? Planned the engagement meetings? Conducted the engagement meeting for peers/students? Discussed and evaluated the engagement meeting for peers/students? Conducted the engagement meeting for school personnel? Discussed and evaluated the engagement meeting for school personnel? Conducted the engagement meeting for parents and community members? Discussed and evaluated the engagement meeting for parents and community members? Conducted the engagement meeting for law enforcement? Discussed and evaluated the engagement meeting for law enforcement? Conducted the engagement meeting for members of the judicial system? Discussed and evaluated the engagement meeting for members of the judicial system? If you ve completed everything for Step Two, you re ready to move to Step Three: Developing the Campaign. Notes: 39 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Two

46 CHANGE FOR YO.00UTH Step Two Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 40

47 Step Three: Strategic Planning - Developing the Campaign After collecting data and gathering opinions (Step One), and then identifying and engaging community partners (Step Two), you ve progressed to Step Three. Action 1: Conduct Planning Meeting(s) to Select an Environmental Strategy and Create a Strategic Plan Prepare for the Meeting: Who should be involved? 1 Use the support you ve generated in other steps of this project to create and put your campaign into action. This is not the time to invite new people to the table. You want to invite: Stakeholders you involved in the Getting Started phase of this project Community partners you received commitments from in Step Two You should have already put together a contact list of those people. Now is the time to involve them. Plan your strategic planning team meeting Decide and assign actions within the project team to cover the following: Date of planning meeting(s) Location of planning meeting(s) Facility availability and capacity to hold the number of attendees you expect How people will be invited (phone calls, flyers, notices, ?) Who will invite them Whether to ask for response of attendance (RSVPs) Who will keep track of RSVPs You can find detailed information on the theory and process of Strategic Planning in Texans Standing Tall s SPF SIG Report Cards or the RAND Document, Preventing Underage Drinking: Using Getting To OutcomesTM with the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework to Achieve Results. Texans Standing Tall provides training on Strategic Planning that includes hands-on facilitation of strategic planning based on your assessment data. 41 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Three

48 Strategic planning is not as complicated and intimidating as it sounds. The general parts of the meeting include: Welcome and Introductions Overview of what you hope to accomplish at the meeting Brainstorming and Planning What, When, Where, How, Who, By When (including the plan for involving the media). Basically, you are looking at what you already know about your community (assessment), thinking about which of those problems your community members are willing/ready to address, and selecting an evidence-based strategy to address that problem. Use the Strategic Planning Procedures in this section as a guide. Adjourn your meeting once you ve selected a strategy. Thank everyone for coming and let them know you ll be in touch when the Strategic Plan is completed. (If time allows, you can begin to work on creating a written plan for how your group and your community partners and stakeholders will implement the strategy, although this is often best done internally by the leaders of your group.) ROLES FOR CONDUCTING THE PLANNING MEETING: Team member(s) for registration table Team member to capture/record the planning process (for formulation of the campaign plan and timelines) Team member(s) who will responsible for conducting parts of the meeting Note: A skilled facilitator should lead the brainstorming and discussion and keep the work project-focused. If you need outside help, Texans Standing Tall provides Strategic Planning training including a hands-on facilitation to develop your strategic plan. MATERIALS NEEDED: Flip chart paper on a standup easel and tape for posting (if allowed) on the wall Sign-in sheet, pens (Use sign-in sheet from Getting Started section in this manual) Adhesive-backed nametags (or large labels) Markers for writing on name tags List of community-based environmental prevention strategies Educational and Campaign items appropriate for this meeting PREPARATION NEEDED: Designate who will do what Prepare a sign-in sheet (Optional) Write the meeting s purpose on flip chart paper and post on the wall Gather materials Conduct the meeting OVERVIEW: Provide a short overview of the project steps and what you hope to accomplish. State the purpose of the meeting: Select and plan for implementing an environmental strategy to prevent underage drinking. State the format of the meeting very structured so that we can move through items in the allotted time frame. Step Three Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 42

49 Clarify that you will be selecting community-based environmental prevention strategies. You will not be focusing on individuals saying no to drinking alcohol. State the purpose of your project to decrease the use of alcohol by youth in your community as well as the negative consequences. You might cite some specific data from your assessment to show evidence of the problem specific to your community. Brainstorm the strategies below and reach agreement on your priority. Close the meeting with information on next steps (when and how you will follow up with participants). Thank participants for their time and commitment. Offer educational and Campaign items appropriate to this meeting. SELECT AN ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY: There are many evidence-based environmental prevention strategies to choose from. Below are examples of three strategies in which youth can play a unique and significant role in implementation. For complete lists of evidence-based strategies and how to implement them, check out the Surgeon General s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007 or contact Texans Standing Tall. First, you will want to revisit your needs assessment. Look at the data you collected about intervening variables in your community. Which ones are most prevalent? Identify the three most prevalent intervening variables on a flip chart. Be sure to list the specific data that is evidence of that intervening variable in your community. An example may be TABC reports that retailers sell to minors about 22% of the time. This is higher than the state average. Or Youth are getting alcohol at parties. Police just send everyone home and no one is held accountable for providing to minors. These data points will be useful as a baseline to work if you select a strategy that impacts that variable. Have a discussion about your readiness and capacity to address that problem. For example, if your biggest intervening variable is enforcement in that judges do not penalize people who are cited for underage drinking violations, but you don t have any sort of connections with anyone in the legal system, it might be better to start with something else that your community is more ready to implement. Consider your capacity what financial resources you have, what connections and community partners you have, and what level of commitment you have. Once you have looked at the data and reviewed your capacity, identify which intervening variables you need to address and have the capacity to address. Then you are ready to look for environmental strategies that are evidence-based to address those problems. ADDRESSING RETAIL ACCESS: COMPLIANCE CHECKS Also known as minor stings or just stings, compliance checks are an environmental strategy designed to increase enforcement of laws related to selling alcohol to minors. In a compliance check, a youth goes into a store or restaurant and tries to purchase alcohol. An undercover officer is also in the store with them to witness the transaction and ensure the safety of the young person. If the youth is allowed to purchase the alcohol, then a citation is given to the employee. If you want to be involved in minor stings, your first step would be to contact your local police department and find out if they re already conducting them. If so, find out if they need youth participation or community support. If not, you might see if you can meet with them to discuss it. Show them your data about underage drinking and the consequences. Compliance checks are an evidence-based strategy to reduce underage drinking by limiting retail access to alcohol. It is essential to work with law enforcement in order to conduct minor stings. TABC provides training to local law enforcement on how to conduct compliance checks, 43 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Three

50 Ways that your team can get involved in supporting compliance checks: Contact law enforcement and offer to provide minors to attempt to purchase alcohol. Create packets of information to distribute to the stores in the zip code or neighborhood selected for compliance checks. Mail them or deliver them about a month in advance. Include information on the laws related to selling to minors, the consequences for selling to a minor, benefits of seller/server training, and GOOD IDEA availability of seller/server training. This information is all available at state.tx.us. Be sure to include a cover letter to tell them about your community group and raise awareness of underage drinking in your community. You can get creative with the packets and include things like stickers for the cash register or buttons for staff to wear with messages to communicate We don t sell alcohol to minors. Use UNDER 21 MEANS ZER0.00 ALCOHOL stickers or materials from resource organizations such as FACE ( After compliance checks are conducted, follow-up with all of the stores. To the stores that sold, give them more information. You could mail them another letter or partner with law enforcement to visit the store and hand-deliver the information. For the stores that did not sell, you can create certificates to thank them for helping to create a safe community to give to them, issue a press release to publicly thank the stores that did not sell, or create a list of stores/restaurants that do not sell alcohol to minors and distribute it in your community. (Note: Do not identify which stores do sell to minors.) The point of compliance checks is not simply to catch people who sell to minors. It s about preventing the sales, and publicity combined with visible enforcement can be a deterrent. For more detailed information on any of these strategies, contact Texans Standing Tall or see the Recommended Resources section in the appendix of this manual for more resources. ADDRESSING SOCIAL ACCESS: PARTY PATROLS Party patrols are an evidence-based environmental strategy to limit minors social access to alcohol. Police officers are trained on Controlled Party Dispersal, which are tactics for enforcement at underage drinking parties. These tactics involve safely dispersing the party and holding responsible the adult who provided alcohol to minors. There is also an element of party prevention so that when law enforcement hear about a party they can visit the home in advance to prevent an underage drinking party from occurring. GOOD IDEA Youth groups can partner with law enforcement in this effort in several ways: Help law enforcement understand the culture of underage drinking in the community and provide tips to law enforcement on upcoming parties in order to prevent them. Encourage local law enforcement to get training on Controlled Party Dispersal from TABC. Your team can volunteer to participate in the training. Create media buzz and community education to publicize the enforcement efforts to create a deterrent to hosting underage drinking parties. You can supplement this strategy in creative ways. One community sent letters to all parents from the Superintendent and the Chief of Police talking about the dangers of providing alcohol to minors and with a warning that they would be enforcing these laws. Others created a sticker shock operation where they partnered with local convenience stores to put stickers on beer that said, Don t provide alcohol to minors. Step Three Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 44

51 Impacting Intervening Variables Through Policy Change SCHOOL POLICIES The previous strategies focused on increasing enforcement, but another way to prevent underage drinking in your community is by changing policies. A great place to start would be at your school. Look at the policies your school has related to underage drinking, and then brainstorm policies that could help address problems you identified in your Baseline Report. If there s an issue with students drinking in class, create a policy that only allows unopened drinks to be brought inside. Examine existing policies and whether they re being enforced. If they re not, meet with school personnel and talk with them about underage drinking in your community, the consequences, and what they can do to prevent some of those consequences from happening. Partner with existing prevention programs/activities on your campus to increase their impact. (See the Introductory section of this Action Manual for examples) COMMUNITY-BASED POLICIES There are numerous community-based prevention policies that can address preventing underage alcohol use. Here is a list of several strategies: Passing social host ordinances which hold hosts of underage drinking parties accountable Raising excise taxes (this must be done at the State level in Texas) Creating policies that limit size and number of beverage sales at community events/festivals Creating policies that limit youth exposure to alcohol marketing at community events/festivals For more information on policy change strategies contact Texans Standing Tall for resources, training, and technical assistance. MEDIA ADVOCACY Every strategy should also have a media advocacy component because environmental strategies have the greatest impact when the community is aware that they are happening so that the community beliefs and attitudes about underage alcohol use are impacted. In the Step Four, we will discuss incorporating media strategies into the implementation of your KEY POINT strategies. Writing Your Step-by-Step Strategic Plan Once you ve selected your strategy, it s time to put pen to paper and document the activities that will be involved in carrying out the strategy. Your strategic plan will become the guiding document for your project from this point forward. Your strategic plan should include: A short narrative that summarizes your Baseline Report and explains the substance abuse problem in your community The identified intervening variables (with specific data points, which you should have listed on your flip chart at your planning meeting!) A description of the strategy you have chosen How that strategy will benefit the community The realistic outcome that you expect to see after implementation.* Specific implementation plans for each strategy A good implementation plan should include the following elements: > The main components of your strategy (For example: enforcement, education, and media advocacy) > The activities that are necessary for each component, specifying: 45 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Three

52 - Resources needed - People involved - Deadlines > Potential barriers to completing the strategy or to the success of the strategy. Brainstorm potential solutions. > List of partners and their roles. Preventing Underage Drinking Using Getting To Outcomes with the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework to Achieve Results has great templates for implementation plans. See ( reports/tr403.html *It s just not realistic to say, We will stop underage drinking by doing compliance checks for 6 months. However, because you are choosing an evidence-based strategy, you can depend on the research and theory of change that your work will trend towards the results that you ultimately want. Here s an example of how you might word this: After we implement our compliance check strategy for 12 months, we expect to see a 2% increase in compliance rates as measured by TABC and local law enforcement, decreasing youth s retail access to alcohol. Be realistic and measurable in your goals. Depending on the readiness of your community, your goal might be even simpler; for example, At this point, no compliance checks are conducted in our community. We will see an increase to 6 compliance checks a year. Research and experience have shown that campaigns, groups, and coalitions are more successful when they carefully plan before acting. Think through what you want to do, and write it down. It may seem tedious, but it will be helpful later. Don t get caught up in making it perfect; make it something that is informational and useful to your Team while still making sense to people who are not involved. Your strategic plan will help you define the roles, recognize who you still need to bring to the table, and get them involved. When you can show people the specific ways that their skills and talents will be utilized and how necessary they are to the success of a project, they will be more likely to want to get involved. Action 2: Discuss the Planning Meeting and Fine Tune the Plan Hold a Team meeting after the strategic planning meeting to discuss items such as: Now that we have a plan, is there anyone else we need to involve? If yes, who? How should we involve them? (visit, phone call, etc.) Are there any gaps in our plan that we as a Team need to discuss? Who will be responsible for putting our plan into a written form? How will our plan be distributed to those involved in the planning? 2 Action 3: Disseminate the Strategic Plan Put together a written plan based upon all of the items decided at the planning session. Within a few days of the strategic planning session, distribute to all members of the Campaign Team and planning group: -A roster of persons and contact information from the sign-in sheet -The written, step-by-step strategic plan 3 Step Three Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 46

53 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING FROM STEP THREE TO STEP FOUR Use this checklist to determine if you re ready to move to the next step in the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Note the date your Team completed the following actions: Date Task Put together your invitation list for the strategic planning meeting? Invited persons to your strategic planning meeting? Planned the strategic planning meeting? Conducted the planning meeting(s)? Discussed and evaluated the planning meeting(s)? Put together a written strategic plan including goals, responsibilities, and deadlines? Distributed the strategic plan to everyone involved? If you ve completed all of the steps in Step Three, you re ready to move on to Step Four: Implementing the Campaign Notes: 47 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Three

54 BE A HERO.00 Step Three Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 48

55 Step Four: Implementing Your Campaign Strategy This step is where the rubber meets the road, and you begin to implement the strategy that you selected based on data collected in Step One, gathered support for in Step Two, and planned for in Step Three. This step is also the most individualized for each community. You will utilize evidence-based literature and best practices to ensure that you implement your strategy according to the research to increase your chances for success. During this step, it is important to get the media involved in what you are doing. Media is an important component in your community campaign because it creates a means for you to distribute your message to the people you want to reach in the most effective and efficient way possible. Depending on your community, media might include major network TV stations, radio stations, local cable access channels, newspapers, neighborhood newsletters, church bulletins, and online news outlets. Step Four includes Media Training to help you get creative! If you ve thoroughly completed Step Three and carefully developed your plan, you can expect success in Step Four. Action 1: Review the Details of Your Strategic Plan Check that all your Step Three strategic planning items are in place. Check and double-check all who, what, when, and where details. When involving the media, make sure you have carefully informed them in advance (media advisory) and that you have everything in place to support their interest in your event (media kit or packet). 1 Action 2: Develop Backup Plans In Step Three, part of your strategic planning process was to identify potential barriers to implementing your strategy. Now that you are ready to implement your strategy, you should revisit these potential barriers from time to time to see how they will impact your plan and then develop backup plans as needed that is, plans on how you will respond and what actions you will take when your strategy doesn t go as planned Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Four

56 For example, which steps in your plan will be impacted if the date of your compliance check is changed? You will need to revise your media advisory and media kit, figure out which youth can participate on the new date, and possibly reschedule events that coincide with compliance checks, such as writing letters of appreciation to retail outlets. Or if the materials you were planning to distribute in advance of compliance checks will not be printed by the date you had chosen, what steps will you need to change, or will you be able to use or create other materials instead of waiting for the original ones? KEY POINT Anticipating potential barriers and pitfalls and how you can create a backup plan or plan to work around them will increase the likelihood of your success. Action 3: Carry Out the Campaign As you implement your strategy, you want to make sure to remember to do the 3 following: Document the actions that are taken by your group and by community partners in implementing your strategy, whether they were a part of the action plan or not. Save examples or copies of items used or distributed in the campaign. (These are considered outputs and are useful in Step Five: Evaluation as well as promoting your Team s efforts.) Take pictures of events, your project team in action, and involvement of your target audience. Make notes of all media representatives that covered your campaign or conducted interviews. Ask when the story may run in the paper, on TV, or on the radio, etc. Collect any evidence of media coverage save originals of print items and recordings of radio and television coverage. If it is a story that comes out in the paper, keep the whole page rather than clipping just the article. If it is an internet story, do a print page from your computer. Action 4: Utilize Media to Spread the Word Media is defined as anything distributed to the public in print or online (such as 4 billboard, flyers, ads, newspapers, magazines, books) or broadcast (such as radio and television ads and programs). It is very important that you understand the media and how it works, and how you can use the media to further your own goals. This is achieved through understanding media advocacy. This section of the manual provides information and activities so that the project team can develop skills that can be used to create media messages. Who should be involved? Anyone in your Team, including your Sponsor, that will be working on media advocacy activities should be trained to ensure that not only do you get media coverage but that you don t get coverage that negatively impacts your goals. It is not uncommon for people that have not been trained to host a media event or get interviewed for a story and what they meant to say was not what ended up on TV, the radio, or in print. Texans Standing Tall offers media advocacy trainings, which include training on developing community and media messaging as well as planning media events and press conferences. The trainings include information both for youth leaders and adult sponsors. For more information and to contact someone about training TST@TexansStandingTall.org and visit Step Four Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 50

57 In addition to training it is helpful to ask a local media professional to offer you training or to come speak to your Team. One of the best places to find people to help you understand the inner working of your local media is within that media itself. TV and Radio news departments may have someone available to come and explain how they do their jobs. The person who might be the most help would be the assignments editor for a TV station. They are responsible for the day-to-day working of a newsroom. Many times they not only decide who covers what story, but what stories are covered. You also need to get people from the other side of the coin. There are many professionals in your area who work daily with the media--planning events, distributing press releases, and building relationships with individual reporters. The following is a list of potential speakers who could help with you with understanding how to work with the media. Assignments Editors - radio & TV stations Section Editor - local or metro section of area paper Local law enforcement - Communications Director Local governmental offices - Communications Director (Mayor, City Council, County Commissioners, utilities etc.) Public Relations Director - local businesses (e.g., banks, law firms, hospitals) Non-profit organizations - Communications Director (United Way, American Cancer Society, Goodwill) School District Information Officer A note of caution: be sure that the person you engage to help in your media trainings is supportive of prevention of underage drinking. Who should attend the training? Youth leaders of the project Adult sponsor Committed community partners engaged in Step Two (optional). (They also may have suggestions on others who would be interested in helping the project.) A letter of invitation or flyer including details and directions should be sent out to potential participants from outside your project team. How do we plan the training? Plan for the media training session to take around two to three hours depending on what the speaker will be doing with the group. If they will be training you with interactive activities the training takes longer than someone that is offering to speak and will only provide tips to the group. Ideally, you want both types of training and support over time. Make personal contact with the potential speaker to find out when he/she is available and what, if any, audiovisual equipment will be needed. Try to find the best time that your Campaign Team and the most participants that are supporting your efforts can attend. Investigate potential places for the training (cafeteria of a local school, or the community room of one the organizations already involved). Consider enticements for attendance, such as drinks and snacks, or perhaps pizza. Every community group knows that if you serve food, more people will show up. After you have confirmed the speaker, follow up by sending a letter or flyer stating the details and directions to the training session. This can be done by as well as in print form. 51 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Four

58 Training Agenda There are several pieces in this section of the manual to serve as content guides for the training agenda. These are: Media Advocacy Training Key Points Spokesperson Training Key Points Media Advocacy Training Key Points Media Advocacy Training teaches the basics on how to use media to get your own messages across. You tell your own story about underage drinking prevention proactively, rather than waiting passively for the media to get it right. KEY POINT Who can be a Media Advocate? Anyone of almost any age, provided that they understand the campaign s goals and can articulate those goals to the media. A media advocate must: Identify the message (the environmental change that will reduce underage drinking); Identify the audience who in the community do we want to listen and learn by our message (for example: peers/students & school personnel, parents & community leaders, law enforcement officials.); and Identify the proper media formats to get the message across. Those formats can be very different from one another (news conference, letters to the editors, radio talk show call-in, news events, establishing relationships with reporters, etc.). Here are some basic points to remember about becoming a media advocate. 1) Know the facts of your issue and be able to clearly state them to others. 2) Practice your talking points. 3) Develop relationships with members of the local media. 4) Use your own style, and be courteous, factual and professional. 5) Listen to the other side of the issue and know what they think of your point of view so that you can appropriately respond or avoid being side tracked by another group s agenda. 6) Encourage others to join in; there is strength in numbers. Involving The News Media The news media are tremendous allies in conducting a media advocacy campaign. News is the most common and powerful information source for Americans. In general, the public automatically accepts almost anything on the news as having credibility and importance. Another advantage for media advocates is that generating news is relatively inexpensive. Once you understand how to get a news departments attention, you can repeat this approach for future campaigns. Step Four Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 52

59 HERE ARE A FEW OF THE SKILLS THAT WILL HELP GENERATE NEWS COVERAGE 1) Gather Information on Your Issue - Be sure you have all the data and relevant facts needed to back up your issue. Make sure that you deliver short, clear fact-based ideas, which are best for news. 2) Identify Your Partners - There could be any number of individuals and organizations that would lend a helping hand and credibility to your cause. It is a public health issue. Brainstorm which governmental or non-profit agency would have a positive impact on your target audience if they were part of your story. Common goals can sometimes make unlikely partners. Look carefully at the problem and its contributing factors and search for these alliances. Caution: Be sure you do not align with partners who might give a mixed message to your agenda. 3) Develop A Plan - Make sure everyone is clear on the issue and goals you are setting out to accomplish. Establish a time frame, and make sure you are clear about whom you are trying to reach with your message. Remember that while one story can do some good, a series of news media activities works best in the long run. This multi-pronged approach allows you to target more specific audiences (i.e. parents, decision makers, etc.) 4) Make Sure You Have Trained Spokespersons - Not everyone will feel comfortable in front of a reporter or a microphone. Not everyone should be in front of the camera or microphone. Make sure you have several people who can express the campaign s goal in terms of the news event in a clear, concise manner, and who can also think on their feet. Be prepared to respond to requests from reporters on breaking news that might affect your goals. Make sure Team members refer to the designated spokespersons. 5) Prepare A Media Kit For Distribution On The Day Of Your Campaign Event To Include - Folder Media Advisory Background Information List of speakers with their affiliations Don t underestimate the power of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to combat underage drinking. You could create a Twitter account for your youth Team, and tweet about the facts of underage drinking, such as the fact that most youth do NOT drink alcohol every weekend despite the perception that most do. Social network sites are good avenues for reframing the conversation about underage drinking. The following pages provide some examples of various methods of media advocacy. GOOD IDEA 53 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Four

60 Letters To the Editor: This is an excellent way to get your point across in a timely manner. If there is a local incident that can be tied to the community change you are trying to affect, you have an excellent chance of getting your letter printed. Most papers will request that the letter be less than 150 words. They will also ask for details such as your name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Here is an example of one such Letter To the Editor. Dear Editor: SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR Thanks to our XYZ Police Department for holding increased enforcement last week. This holiday (Example: Spring Break, New Years Eve) time is especially critical for our young people. Unfortunately, the mix of inexperienced drivers and alcohol is deadly for teens. Even though it s against the law for persons under the age of 21 to drink, in 2010, 2,645 youth under age 21were involved in alcohol-related traffic crashes in Texas XXX, persons died from underage alcohol-related crashes in XXXX (year). Increased enforcement is one way we can let people know we re serious about preventing underage drinking, DUIs, and alcohol-related crashes. I understand our police department has many priorities and pressures to respond to all types of crime. I m grateful that preventing these tragic crashes is one priority they are willing to invest in. Sincerely, You can take action to prevent underage drinking by writing a letter to the editor that not only informs, but also asks the news staff to reframe their coverage of underage drinking and its consequences. Too often, the focus of a story is on the youth who drove drunk or on the members of a sports team who were suspended for underage drinking. But the reporting shouldn t stop there. If an underage person has consumed alcohol, that person got the alcohol from an adult. Use a letter to the editor to ask the reporting staff to inquire further about who provided the alcohol to the youth. Doing so will encourage others to see that youth alone are not the problem and that adults need to be held responsible for underage drinking. Step Four Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 54

61 Media Advisory of an Event: One of the advantages of having contacts in local media is that when you produce an event that deserves coverage, you know whom to contact about the event. Typically, a media advisory is released a couple of days to a week prior to the event. This advises the media of an upcoming event you want them to attend. A media advisory is not the same as a media or press release, which you give out on the day of event. You should make follow-up phone calls with news outlets to make sure they received your advisory and encourage them to attend. Here is a sample media advisory: NEWS EVENT MEDIA ALERT SAMPLE NEWS EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT DATE OF ADVISORY: March 20, 2011 CONTACT: Adult Leader at or Teen Leader at Forum Rallies Participants to Protect Students from Dangers of Alcohol What: When: Where: Who: Why: College Regional Forum to Prevent Underage Alcohol Use Friday, March 25, 2011, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm * Press access and photo opportunities are available from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. * Press will have interview opportunities. University of Texas San Antonio, Downtown Campus Southwest Room DB1.124, Durango Building 501 West Durango, San Antonio, Texas, Presented by Texans Standing Tall; San Antonio Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse; Circles of San Antonio Community Coalition Speakers Include: Representative Joaquin Castro, State Representative, District 125 Judy Bergfield, Consultant, Christian Life Commission; Certified Public Accountant and Attorney According to the Department of State Health Services most recent college survey data, 30% of college students binge drank twice in the past month. Texas Department of Public Safety indicates between 2000 to 2007 DWI arrests by females aged 18, 19, and 20 increased more than 100%. In 2010, 59% of San Antonio ISD students surveyed through the Texas School Survey reported consuming alcohol at least once in their lifetimes. Alcohol use among underage drinkers is related to driving while intoxicated, dropping out of school, poor academic performance, unplanned/ unwanted sexual activity, violence, injuries and other risky behaviors. Texans Standing Tall s College Regional Forums are designed to educate and mobilize communities to protect our youth and students by preventing and reducing underage alcohol use through evidence-based prevention strategies. Program Highlights: Presentation on regional and college underage drinking trends Presentations on evidence-based strategies: alcohol excise taxes, social hosting ordinances, and screening and brief intervention on college campuses Practical action steps the community can take to create change 55 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Four

62 It is often useful to have a strong visual aid at events where press will be present to draw people s attention to the magnitude of the underage drinking problem or the facts of underage drinking. For example, you might include large charts or graphs to indicate your data or you might choose to display a blown up alcohol ad that was found in a magazine where people not yet age 21 are the main readers. MEDIA ADVOCACY ACTIVITY GOOD IDEA Break into groups, and using the examples below, develop some items that can be used for media advocacy for your campaign. Write a letter to the editor concerning a local incident that ties into your strategy. Put together a news release that explains an event that will take place tied to the strategy. Plan a media event. For example, a chalk walk on underage drinking stats; public signing of pledges to not use alcohol if under 21, and for adults not to provide alcohol to persons under 21; time-capsule of current data to be compared in subsequent years (time capsule in a beer keg.) Put on a mock media event and/or press conference. (Assign a few individuals to portray the press and ask questions at the event.) (Allow 15 minutes for each group to prepare, five minutes for the presentation.) Spokesperson Training Key Points This training is designed to help participants feel comfortable being recorded and on television and to help organize appropriate messages for the media campaign. Interview Tips Useful for all media outlets 1. Always look the interviewer in the eye. 2. Good posture is the LAW. Never slump, tilt back in a chair or shift your weight around. 3. Speak in short, clear, declarative sentences. 4. If you don t know the answer, admit it! (See #14) 5. Always check your grooming (an un-centered tie will become a fixation for the viewer). 6. Always talk with the reporter, casually, prior to beginning an interview. Discuss the issues - build rapport. 7. Know what you want to say and make sure it gets said. 8. Do not go OFF THE RECORD (don t say something that you don t want repeated) at any time. 9. Never say, No Comment. If you don t have an answer, repeat your main point even if it doesn t answer their question. 10. Avoid jargon (words that other people may not know). 11. BE YOURSELF. 12. Never say anything that you are not sure of don t make up an answer because it feels or sounds right to you. Keep to your talking points which are based on data. 13. Answer using complete statements. TV news interviews edit out the questions unless it s live or a talk show format. 14. It s okay not to have all the answers. You may want to suggest someone else who may have an answer for them or find out and get back to them. 15. Speak from personal experience as much as possible. 16. Be brief and to the point (TV quotes are an average of 8 seconds). 17. Stay focused on your message. It s more important that you get out the important message you want than to answer the specific questions from the media. 18. Create a media bite (a statement of a few powerful words, approximately 10 sec.) and repeat it. Step Four Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 56

63 19. Unless it s live, it s OK to be repetitive or ask to restate something that you may have said wrong-they will edit the recording later (and usually try to use the clearest quotes). 20. Use relevant facts and data where appropriate. MEDIA SPOKESPERSON ACTIVITY Break up into small groups of two. Select a few of the points from the list above and assign each group one of these key points to act out in a role play. Roles will include a person to be the interviewer from the media and another person to play the part of the spokesperson. If time allows, have the groups role-play the wrong way, then repeat the role-play showing the right way (that is, following the points in the list above). If time allows, perform the role-plays in front of the rest of the group. If time is short, have the partners act out their role-plays simultaneously while the facilitator circulates around the room. Action 5: Discuss and Review the Campaign After you ve spent some time implementing your strategy (depending on the strategy, this could be after a few days of implementation or a few weeks or a few months), invite all members of the planning team (Campaign Team and committed community partners) back for an informal discussion on your progress. 5 Consider the following questions: So far, have we been successful in putting our plan into motion? Have we followed the evidence-based best practices? If not, why? Are we trending towards our goals? What have we done well? What would we change if we had the opportunity to do it over? What have we learned from this experience so far that will help us as we finish completing our plan? What should we do to celebrate our success? 57 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Four

64 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING FROM STEP FOUR TO STEP FIVE Use this checklist to determine if you re ready to move to the next step in the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Note the date your Team completed the following actions: Date Task Put together your invitation list for the strategic planning meeting? Invited persons to your strategic planning meeting? Planned the strategic planning meeting? Conducted the planning meeting(s)? Discussed and evaluated the planning meeting(s)? Put together a written strategic plan including goals, responsibilities, and deadlines? Distributed the strategic plan to everyone involved? If you ve completed all of the steps in Step Three, you re ready to move on to Step Four: Implementing the Campaign Notes: Step Four Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 58

65 Step Five: Evaluating and Planning Next Steps Once you have carried out your campaign, it is time to measure whether your efforts have resulted in changes in your community. You can do this by using the same opinion-gathering methods you used in Step One. Now the same process can be used for ongoing assessment of progress in reducing underage drinking in your community (focus groups and surveys). Now is the time for considering the most important question WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Action 1: Celebrate! Before you move on to the next steps, celebrate your accomplishments in completing your first Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. You have raised awareness of the underage drinking problem, provided new data to the community, engaged new community partners, and implemented one strategy to address the problem. 1 Take time to recognize and thank those who helped your team achieve success. Utilize promotional, informational, and educational materials developed for the project to keep the message alive. Be creative in obtaining thank you gifts. Make your own personal list of accomplishments and skills learned. Add any certificates from training or letters of appreciation to your resume folder. Give yourself and your team a round of applause. Congratulations! Action 2: Gather and Compare Attitudes/Opinions Use the same procedures as outlined in Step One, Action 2, involving the following target groups: Peers/students and school personnel Parent/community members Law enforcement Members of the judicial system 2 If possible, have the same individuals that completed the surveys in Step One Action 2 complete the second round of surveys so it will be easier to identify changes in the target groups. 59 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Five

66 In addition to your focus group and survey data, review your process evaluation data from Step Four. This will help you see if you are trending toward positive change through implementation of your strategy. Was there an increase in enforcement of underage drinking laws? Was there an increase in media advocacy activities around underage drinking? How many retailers were educated? How many parents or peers were educated? Was there a decrease in sales of alcohol to minors? Was there an increase of citations for providing alcohol to minors at parties? Were law enforcement trained in controlled party dispersal techniques? After you have completed the focus groups and collected the surveys, tally your results as you did in Step One. Then compare the results between Step One and Step Five to understand what has changed from the time you started the campaign to now. Look for the following: Was there a change in the knowledge level of the people who responded? Does the change indicate MORE knowledge or LESS? If so, how much? Was there a change in attitudes of the people who responded? If so, in what way? Was there a change in the process of your opinion gathering? (Were people more/less willing to participate or share their thoughts/responses?) What do these comparisons indicate for future actions in your community? Put together a simple written report of your findings to use as a springboard for future planning. You may need to continue your current Campaign strategy efforts or choose a different set of activities. The evaluation process will help you decide what to do next. Action 3: Plan Next Steps The implementation of one environmental strategy may not have a long-term impact. 3 Your work through these steps should really be viewed as a beginning for your community and ongoing. You have: Gauged the extent of the underage drinking problem in your local area (occurrences, enforcement and sanctions); Looked at attitudes and opinions on the issue and the problem; Enlisted (through your engagement groups) community stakeholders and other individuals to take ownership of the problem and assume responsibility for making local changes to make their community a safer place; Taken action through developing and carrying out a community-based strategy to prevent underage drinking and raise awareness; Measured the results of your efforts. Next, convene a meeting of interested parties (organizations, institutions and individuals) to: Discuss and evaluate the campaign; Review your final report; Ask which results of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign indicate a need for ongoing efforts in the community; Step Five Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign 60

67 Determine how best to get those ongoing efforts started (A planning meeting following the guidelines from the Step Three planning meeting.); Discuss ways to incorporate other prevention programs/events into your continuing effort (such as Red Ribbon Week, etc.); Invite and mentor younger participants to join ongoing efforts as members of your group graduate; Take a look at your community s available local resources (people, organizations, agencies) that can support ongoing efforts; Develop a plan to leverage (use and combine) these resources. Each target population has a role to play in supporting underage drinking prevention. Remember, it is only through a dedicated, ongoing commitment of adults in partnership with our youth that we can succeed in having a community where there is Zero Alcohol for Youth! 61 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Step Five

68 Progress Readiness Checklist MOVING FROM STEP FIVE TO ONGOING COMMUNITY ACTION Date Task Conducted focus groups with peers/students? Conducted focus groups with parents? Conducted focus groups with school personnel? Conducted focus groups with community members? Conducted focus groups with law enforcement? Conducted focus groups with members of the judicial system? Recorded responses from all focus groups? Distributed surveys to peers/students? Distributed surveys to school personnel? Distributed surveys to parents and members of the community? Distributed surveys to law enforcement personnel? Distributed surveys to members of the judicial system? Collected surveys from peers/students? Collected surveys from school personnel? Collected surveys from parents and members of the community? Collected surveys from law enforcement personnel? Collected surveys from members of the judicial system? Tabulated responses from all surveys? Compared focus group findings of this step to the results of the focus groups in Step One? Compared survey responses on this step to those surveys conducted in Step One? Prepared a written report of your findings? Held a follow-up meeting with stakeholders to discuss and evaluate the campaign? Planned another planning meeting to jumpstart ongoing action in the community? If you ve completed all of the steps in Step Five, you re successfully implemented a Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign cycle. Congratulate yourselves and use what you ve learned and accomplished to advocate for ongoing community action to prevent youth alcohol use. Step 5 Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign

69 Appendix 1 Recommended Resources Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy Manual for Activists This book, developed in 1991, is a primer for any community activist or person who wants to make things different for their community. It outlines the skills and principles necessary for effective community organizing. This is not specifically geared toward prevention of underage drinking, but community change models are based on and inspired by these principles. Preventing Underage Drinking: Using Getting to Outcomes with SAMHSA s Strategic Prevention Framework to Achieve Results This publication from the RAND Corporation is designed to guide communities in utilizing and evaluating strategies to address underage drinking at an environmental (community) level. It takes a step-by-step approach to creating community change beginning with assessing the need, building capacity, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation. It also gives detailed explanations of how to implement several different environmental strategies for preventing underage drinking. This document can be downloaded for free at Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility This book, a joint report from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, is an exhaustive resource on underage drinking in America and evidence-based strategies to address it. The report reinforces the message that reducing underage drinking requires involvement by individuals, governments, schools, community groups, parents, teens, media, alcohol manufacturers, and entire communities. This book is available from the Institute of Medicine and the entire text can be viewed online. ( The Surgeon General s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking 2007 This resource marks the first national call to action on the issue of underage drinking. It takes a science-based approach to looking at the consequences and implications of underage drinking in the United States. It provides detailed action steps for action at community, state, and national levels to address underage drinking. It states, Underage alcohol use is everybody s problem and its solution is everybody s responsibility. The Call to Action can be found online at National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Community How To Guides. Community How To Guide On Coalition Building In this guide you will learn the steps that bring together a diverse group of people in pursuit of a common goal. The booklet details what will be needed from an effective leader who coordinates the effort. If you do not have an established coalition in place, this guide can help you organize and sustain one. This resource connects with Step One of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To Guide On Needs Assessment & Strategic Planning This guide details the elements of a needs assessment, including barriers, data sources, and how to conduct focus groups. It can help you with data collection for the baseline report in Step One. It also includes information on broad environmental policies that can help your coalition develop a strategic plan for change as directed by Step Three of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign TexansStandingTall.org

70 Community How To Guide On Evaluation This guide describes how organizations and coalitions can develop and utilize an evaluation strategy to monitor the effectiveness of their strategies and make recommendations for improvement. You will find this especially helpful in Step Five of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To Guide On Prevention & Education This guide discusses the importance of preventing underage drinking and provides an overview of recent advances in prevention planning. The booklet includes some of the research and examples of strategies that have proven to be effective in curbing underage drinking. This may be helpful in all five steps of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To On Enforcement This guide details what coalitions and organizations need to do to ensure that the law enforcement and judicial communities are active partners in the effort to reduce underage drinking. This will provide information that is useful in Step Two Capacity Building, Step Three Strategic Planning, and Step Four Implementation of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To Guide On Public Policy This guide explains the elements of public policy, including laws, regulations, and the policies and practices of public institutions. Tips are provided on effective ways to impact each of these elements so that a clear, consistent message can be delivered throughout the community on the dangers of underage drinking. It will be especially helpful as you work on your Strategic Plan in Step Three of the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To Guide On Media Relations This guide describes the basic principles of media relations that can help organizations develop an effective media strategy. This will be helpful throughout the entire Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign, particularly in Step Two Capacity Building. Community How To Guide On Self-Sufficiency This guide details the various types of funding that are available for prevention efforts, including government grants, private sector funding, in-kind contributions, and funding that can be obtained from earmarked funds such as fees, fines, assessments, and dedicated taxes. This guide will be helpful as you look for sustainability for your Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. Community How To Guide On Resources Examples, resources, and contact information in this volume of the guide represent a comprehensive list of organizations that have an interest in or knowledge about underage drinking issues. These will be good resources throughout the entire Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign. For information on obtaining any of the Community How To Guides On Underage Drinking Prevention, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at or call Additionally, the Guides can be found by searching the Internet by title. Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant Report Card 2008 and Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant Report Card 2009 These publications were produced by Texans Standing Tall with support from Behavioral Assessment Inc. and the Texas Department of State Health Services. They give an overview of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) process as well as tells the story of the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant process in Texas, which funded 10 community coalitions to utilize the SPF process to reduce underage drinking and alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities. They are available for download at TexansStandingTall.org Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign

71 Strategic Prevention Framework Information Brief This handout was created by Carnevale Associates and it s a great handout to distribute to community members at your meetings to introduce them to the prevention process that you are following. It can be downloaded for free at: Helpful Web Sites: Texans Standing Tall: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America: FACE The Prevention Resource Group (for substance abuse materials and resources): Strategic Prevention Framework The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign follows the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), a structured, community-based approach to prevention developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, an arm of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). For more information on SPF see the Resources section of this manual. The SPF is a five-step process made up of the following steps: 1. Assessment - Assess local, state and national epidemiological data to determine the most critical problem based on the capacity to address the problem and then determine prevention needs to sustain the solution once achieved. 2. Capacity Building - Coalitions and communities identify human, financial and cultural resources from which comprise their capacity to build a prevention plan that is targeted to the assessment in Step One. 3. Strategic Planning - Coalitions develop short term and long term goal-oriented planning, often using a logic model approach, to assure that implementation of the desired prevention plan is realistic. Evidence-based best practices are identified as part of the strategic planning process. 4. Implementation - The point at which the strategic plan is put into action. In the implementation phase effective community prevention programs, policies, and practices test capacity viability. 5. Evaluation - Evaluation is the stated plan that identifies desired outcomes. As outcomes are attained, these results inform the other steps making the process fluid. Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign TexansStandingTall.org

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73 Appendix 2 Forms and resources that may be duplicated. 1. Informational flyer for youth 2. Informational flyer for adults 3. Action Planning Worksheet (applicable for all STEPS of the project) 4. What and Why? 5. Why 21? Arguments and Answers 6. An Environmental Approach 7. Focus Group Questions for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community (English) 8. Preguntas Del Groupo de Enfoque 9. Focus Group Written Questions for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community (English) 10. Focus Group Written Questions for Parents/Community Spanish 11. Answer Key for Written Questions for Peers/Students, School Personnel, Parents/Community 12. Focus Group Questions for Law Enforcement 13. Focus Group Questions for Members of the Judicial System 14. Peer/Student Survey 15. School Personnel Survey 16. Parent/Community Members Survey 17. Demographic Information (for school personnel, parent, community) 18. Encuesta de Informacion Demografica 19. Law Enforcement Survey Version Law Enforcement Survey Version Judicial System Survey 22. Commitment Form 23. Project Summary Form Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign TexansStandingTall.org

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75 The Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign is a youth-led, adult-supported community-wide campaign to promote strategies that increase awareness and implementation of the Texas Zero Tolerance Law on youth alcohol use. Free Training! Contact: Alex Cantu acantu@texansstandingtall.org Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign Be an Advocate for Your Community Did you know? Alcohol is the drug most used by teens in Texas. Texas is #1 in traffic related deaths involving alcohol among youth. Underage drinking cost Texans $6 billion in What can you do? Be a part of the solution. Hold adults accountable for enforcing underage drinking laws. Engage and educate your community. Create community change. What is the Zero Alcohol for Youth Campaign (ZAYC)? A youth led, youth driven, adult supported campaign to promote and create community change. The campaign process guides you through the best practices for doing everything above. Whatever your interest, ZAYC can help you achieve your goals. What are the benefits? On-going technical assistance throughout your campaign. Free interactive training sessions. Free promotional items.