What’s really going on with Weston teenagers? The Weston Social Norms Campaign Weston Health & Wellness Program (Note: You may need to “double-click” to move between slides.) Click enter or right arrow key to continue

What’s really going on with Weston teenagers? Weston cares about our kids’ well-being. Members of the community have been working actively at understanding what’s really happening with them. And, finding ways to effectively help them make healthy decisions. Click enter or right arrow key to continue

First, a 1-question quiz… Which one of the following posters is more effective in encouraging healthy choices among adolescents? Click enter or right arrow key to continue

Poster #1 Click enter or right arrow key to continue See where alcohol can take you?

Poster #2 Click enter or right arrow key to continue Based on data from the 2010 Weston Youth Health Assessment

Social Norms Approach Extensive research has shown that prevention messages that utilize a “social norms approach” are much more effective at encouraging positive behavior than the traditional scare tactics that have been used so much in the past Traditional Scare Tactics The correct answer is Poster #2! Click enter or right arrow key to continue

We (the community) are taking a new approach on keeping our children safe, particularly with alcohol. How do we do that? – By publishing the reality of what’s really going on with our children—much of it is very positive. – By focusing on the positive behavior that is already occurring in our community to reinforce that behavior. Click enter or right arrow key to continue

So, how do we know what’s really going on in Weston? You might remember that in the spring of 2010 Weston youth and parents were invited to participate in surveys measuring behaviors and attitudes towards underage alcohol use. The responses that you provided have given us data that will be presented back to youth and parents through our Social Norms campaigns this year. Click enter or right arrow key to continue

Who Do You Want to Be? In the coming weeks, we’ll be “rolling out” the student social norms campaign- Who Do You Want to Be?-- at the high school. This campaign is an effort to present the facts about the healthy practices of our youth and parents by focusing on positive behaviors, rather than negative scare tactics. Click enter or right arrow key to continue

Following the introduction of the Student component we’ll be sharing the results of the parent survey with you through our companion parent campaign— Time To Talk. Please be on the lookout to learn more and see how you can support the community’s effort at helping our children make healthy decisions. Click enter or right arrow key to continue Next steps…

What you can do to support this effort As the Who Do You Want to Be? and Time to Talk campaigns are running throughout the year, use any “teachable moments” to discuss the messages with your children. If you’d like to be more involved, contact the Weston Health & Wellness Project to join a focus group, volunteer some time planning strategies, or give us feedback (see last slide for contact information). Look over some of the resources listed on the next page for tips and suggestions. Although all of the ideas are not in the “social norms” context, there are still a lot of very useful suggestions. Click enter or right arrow key to continue

For further information… Contact the WPS Health & Wellness Project Office at , or us at Also, please check out the following online resources:  The Power of Parents Handbook – A publication from Mothers Against Drunk Driving with strategies for talking to your kids about alcohol  Resources for Parents – A website of the Council on Alcoholism and Addiction  Stop Underage Drinking--A list of resources available from the US government, including some great pamphlets, booklets, and online resources  Parents: The Anti-Drug – A website from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, with lots of tips and resources  Family Education Network – A website with resources about getting involved with your child’s education, with a special section relating to underage alcohol and drug use.  21 Reasons – A website from the Maine Attorney General’s office

This slide show was developed by the Parent Sub-Committee of the Social Norms Campaign Work Group. This effort is part of the Weston Health & Wellness Project, a program of the Weston Public Schools Department of Wellness Education. For more information, contact our Project Staff: Elizabeth Pratt – Project Coordinator Katie Defoe – Project Assistant – Kevin Wehmhoefer – WHS Health & Wellness Counselor – Mitch Finnegan – WPS Director of Wellness Education – The contents of this slide-show and the Social Norms campaign materials were developed under a Congressionally- directed grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.