Involving Young People in Message Campaigns Campaign for Change: Harnessing the Power of Effective Communication Massachusetts Technical Assistance Partnership for Prevention (MassTAPP) Worcester, Massachusetts September 18, 2015 William DeJong, PhD Boston University School of Public Health

Let’s Think About This… Why do we try to involve students in prevention work? – What are the benefits? – What’s the downside? What work would we like students to do? – What can they do? – What can’t they do? What prevents more students from getting involved?

Colleges & Universities

Big Picture Considerations Campus-based efforts to reduce high-risk drinking will be more successful if they involve a wide range of stakeholders— including students Students provide a unique perspective Students also bring a certain authority to the issue: – College presidents and other campus administrators pay attention when students speak about alcohol- related issues in a responsible and informed way

What Students Can Offer Program Support – Event planning and support – Peer education – Peer counseling – Web site development and oversight – Media campaign development and support – Data collection and analysis New ideas – Fresh perspective Reality check – Knowledge of student culture Legitimacy Increased message reach Low-cost (sometimes free) labor

Potential Student Contributions to a Campus and Community Coalition Provide background information on the problem, contributory factors, and local conditions Interpret student survey data Offer suggestions and give feedback on policies and programs being considered Conduct student focus groups to pretest prevention materials Advise on how to present the prevention program to students so that they will understand the need for it and offer their support

What’s in It for Students? New knowledge and skills – Needs assessment – Intervention design and implementation – Program evaluation – Marketing – Media advocacy – Oral and written communication Income Course credit Community service credit Relevant experience Supervised opportunity to explore career options Letters of reference Opportunity to hang out with very cool student affairs administrators And pride in a job well done!

Cautionary Notes Students may not know what they don’t know – Relative lack of life experience – Lack of professional training – Lack of knowledge about evidence-based practice Students may believe that their opinions are widely shared, even when that’s not the case Students may be too busy, or too distracted, to follow through on what they promise to do

Barriers to Student Involvement Students may be unable to make a long-term commitment – Due to involvement in course work and other extracurricular activities There is turnover from year to year as students graduate or get interested in new activities Students may think that how much others drink is none of their business Many students are afraid to stand up in opposition to perceived student majority opinion

Survey of College Alcohol Norms and Behavior (Spring 2000)

Alcohol Use During the Past 30 Days

Misperceptions of Policy Support To what extent do you support or oppose the following possible policies or procedures? * * * * * To what extent do you think other students at this school support or oppose the following possible policies or procedures? Survey of College Alcohol Norms and Behavior (Spring 2000)

Perceived Support: Strict Enforcement (% of Respondents: Other Students Support) 65.2Use stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who engage in alcohol-related violence 40.9Use stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who repeatedly violate campus alcohol policies 24.2Apply stricter penalties for the use of false IDs to purchase alcohol illegally 16.3Conduct undercover operations at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to increase compliance with underage laws

Perceived Versus Actual Support: Strict Enforcement (% of Respondents) Use stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who engage in alcohol-related violence Use stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who repeatedly violate campus alcohol policies Apply stricter penalties for the use of false IDs to purchase alcohol illegally Conduct undercover operations at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to increase compliance with underage laws

Perceived Versus Actual Support: Campus Management (% of Respondents) Restrict advertising that promotes alcohol consumption at on-campus parties or events Ban alcohol industry sponsorship of school events Make all residences on campus alcohol- free Require more early morning and Friday classes to discourage alcohol use during the week

Perceived Versus Actual Support: Alcohol Availability (% of Respondents) Prohibit kegs on campus Increase taxes on alcohol to help pay for programs to prevent minors from drinking Eliminate low-price bar and liquor store promotions targeted to college students Limit the days or hours of sale for alcohol outlets near campus

Student Majorities Use stricter disciplinary sanctions for students who engage in alcohol-related violence: 32 colleges Conduct undercover operations at bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to increase compliance with underage laws: 12 colleges Eliminate low-price bar and liquor store promotions targeted to college students: 8 colleges Require more early morning and Friday classes to discourage alcohol use during the week: 0 colleges

Implications A majority of students support environmental management strategies, especially stricter enforcement College administrators and community officials should not assume a lack of student support for policy change Students can be effective partners in environmentally focused prevention efforts

Setting the Stage Student Acceptance of Prevention Efforts Begin by correcting misperceptions of student drinking norms Then publicize high levels of student support for environmental management strategies and other prevention measures Position new prevention efforts as a response to student concerns

University of Rhode Island Common Ground Increase Enforcement – Fall 2005-Spring 2007: $50K in grants from Common Ground to campus and local police Decrease Alcohol Access – Signed agreements for Cooperative Tavern and Package Store Programs in two municipalities bordering the URI campus Implement New Policy – Strengthened policy governing University jurisdiction over off-campus conduct

Publicizing the Initiatives: RhodeMap to Safety (RMS) Phase I – Inform students that a majority of URI students support alcohol policy and enforcement efforts to create a safer and healthier campus Phase II – Make students aware of increased alcohol enforcement efforts and other initiatives in Narragansett, South Kingstown, and on campus – Educate students about Rhode Island drinking and driving laws and URI alcohol policies

Phase 1 Publicize student support for law and policy enforcement Position RMS initiatives as a response to student concerns 83.3% of URI students support stricter enforcement of drinking and driving laws

Phase 2 Publicize new initiatives: –Increased local police enforcement –Existing per se and “zero tolerance” laws –Cooperative Tavern and Package Store Programs Responsible beverage service MLDA enforcement

Positive URI Student Reactions Indicators: – Intercept interviews provided consistently positive ratings of the RhodeMap to Safety campaign – Very few complaints sent to campaign address – Student newspaper editorial: “RhodeMap to Safety Campaign Is a Step in the Right Direction” “ The RhodeMap to Safety campaign is a response to student demand for tougher policies and enforcement to deal with alcohol-related problems among URI students.” - Neil Cavanaugh, URI Student Senate President

Setting the Stage Greater Student Involvement in Prevention Reduce students’ concerns about how other students will react by publicizing: – True drinking norms – Student support for prevention initiatives Develop public opportunities for the “silent majority” of students to speak out – Public forums – Newspaper op-eds and letters to the editor

Foundation for Effective Student Involvement Student roles are well defined and support the overall initiative’s mission and goals Students are recruited and selected based on the students’ interest in and skills for the particular role they will play Students receive initial and ongoing training and supervision appropriate to the role, to ensure that their work effectively serves program needs Programs attend to the students’ personal and professional development and their goals for participating

Recruiting Invite students to help improve the social life on campus and student safety, not to help reduce drinking on campus – Any plans that are developed will end up including a focus on preventing high-risk drinking and its consequences Issue personal invitations to get the right mix of students for the work ahead – The “best and brightest” (a.k.a. “nerds”) – Leaders in campus organizations – Socially well-connected students

Training Students—like any other staff—should receive training on the mission, goals, and underlying rationale of the projects they will be working on – Can make better informed contributions to the work – Will receive the greatest benefit Important focus: – Evidence-based strategies – Best practices in campus prevention

University of Missouri-Columbia Kim Dude, Director, Wellness Resource Center (WRC) Reconceptualized WRC’s relationship with students as an opportunity to mentor the next generation of prevention leaders Created a well-planned program of leadership development Advantages – Students can maximize their contribution to the program – Students gain useful experience, learn new skills, and perhaps develop a long-term professional interest in prevention work

Student Roles in the WRC Several staff positions in the Wellness Resource Center (WRC) are occupied by graduate assistants Student volunteers participate in several aspects of the WRC’s prevention-related work Commitment: Must spend at least five hours per week on WRC activities

Student Self-Assessment Student volunteers complete baseline and follow-up surveys about their personal goals for participating in the program Example insights: – Peer educators appreciate opportunities to provide their peers with important information to help them make better decisions, but they are generally uncomfortable telling their peers what decisions to make – Some students may enjoy setting up alcohol-free activities on campus, yet they shy away from taking an active role in setting policies that would restrict their classmates’ freedom to make choices regarding alcohol use Considering students’ preferences will help ensure that they can succeed in—and enjoy—their work.

Training Focus WRC’s wellness programs are grounded in four interrelated approaches: 1.Supporting healthy decision-making 2.Correcting misperceptions of student norms 3.Promoting health protection strategies 4.Implementing environmental management strategies, including new policies WRC staff and student volunteers are trained in the four approaches so that they can operate from that framework when designing and implementing new programs

Training Methods New student recruits are asked to read key publications about the WRC’s prevention methods Staff members spend time with students one-on-one to familiarize them with the center’s philosophy and approach Half of the program’s weekly two-hour meeting is devoted to training As funding permits, the WRC pays for students to attend conferences “First we educate them on what the profession says is effective, and then we ask for their input and ideas.” -Kim Dude

Comments on Working with High School Students With gratitude to Linda M. Langford, ScD Education Development Center (EDC)

High School Students Difficult to form and operate a student group Scheduling difficulties, due to extracurricular activities (especially sports) Lack of transportation Alternative: – Form an advisory group that includes, but is not restricted to students – Additional members: school personnel, parents, community members

High School Students Advice: – Organize the group as a student club, with a compensated teacher as the official adviser – Enlist teacher support for classroom work Review and analyze existing campaign materials Create and produce new materials Conduct formative research Analyze de-identified survey data – Recruit students for special projects Intercept interviews to answer specific questions

Message Testing and Pretesting Focus groups – Needed parents’ permission – Difficult to schedule – Lot of no-shows due Schedule conflicts Lack of transportation Alternatives: – Intercept interviews (e.g., in cafeteria) – Classroom visits High school social norms marketing project: 44.5% of students reported that they had been asked their opinion about campaign messaging or communications (Linda Langford, EDC)

Now What? Have you tried involving students in your prevention work? – What went well? – What didn’t go so well? – What might you have done differently? What barriers do you face in trying to involve students? – How might you overcome those?

William DeJong, PhD