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SAFE in Northern Michigan-Youth PSA Media
Hosted by:
Charlevoix Cinema III
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
Our SAFE youth members taped public service announcements (PSAs) and then went to one of our local movie theaters and arranged for the PSAs to play before each film. We used our stipend to pay the theater to play the PSAs for 18 weeks, from February through June 2024. Our theater has three screens and plays three movies a day on each screen; so, our youth-led PSAs ran approximately 1,134 times. The youth-led PSAs focused on why youth choose not to use alcohol and are available to view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tchm7JMpH8Y.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Alcohol continues to be the number 1 drug of choice for youth in our area. Our mission has been to help youth realize there are plenty of youth who do not use, and they can enjoy events and life without alcohol too.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Information Dissemination Strategy - focuses on improving awareness and knowledge of the effects of AOD issues on communities and families through “one-way” communication with the audience such as speaking engagements, health fairs, and distribution of print materials.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Develop strategic plans to reduce and prevent alcohol and/or other drug misuse.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- Needed additional resources to conduct activity
- Funding was very limited
How did you overcome these challenges?
We used the limited funding and worked with the theater, but could only run PSA's for a short time.
What are your next steps?
- Host follow-up meetings or activities
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
We have completed activities in prior years, but in the past, we only did town hall meetings and did not reach nearly as many people as we did this way.
Organizations that conduct Communities Talk activities often involve other organizations in the planning and execution of events. Please indicate which type(s) of organizations you involved in your activity planning.
- Law enforcement
- Youth-led organizations
- Secondary schools
- Local businesses
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
- Youth
- Parents
- The media
- Community at large
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
The youth made the PSA's but then working with a local business to participate in sharing them.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- Prevention-related webinars
- Customizable Resources for Communities Talk Promotion and Implementation
- Communities Talk toolkits
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