Youth and Alcohol- Message and Media Project (YAMM)
Risky Drinking: The Un-Conference Package now available

“Over 100 youth and adult delegates joined together to deliberate on the best way to communicate information about risky drinking and safety strategies to target audiences”

Since 1999, an increase in underage youth drinking rates has been a cause for concern among health professionals in Ontario. Recent international research supports a relationship between alcohol promotion and youth drinking patterns and also identifies an increase in alcohol advertising over the past 5 years particularly of products, campaigns and promotional gimmicks which appear to attract the younger drinker. (Jernigan et al, 2004, www.camy.net. (Make this a hot link to their website) Health promotion messages aimed at youth typically address the issue of impaired driving, rather than dangerous drinking. Three particular settings have been pinpointed to increase awareness and reduce the risks associated with binge drinking; home, school and community.

Following up on a proposal to Health Canada’s Drug Strategy Community Initiative Fund that had been submitted by the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA), PAD took on the management of a conference to address the issues of messages and dangerous drinking among underage youth. Representatives from PAD, OPHA, Ontario Drug Awareness Partnership (ODAP), Toronto Public Health, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Sault Ste. Marie Focus Project came forward to join the steering committee. Additionally, members from Addictions Ontario, Much Music, and a student from Queen’s University joined. A Youth Advisory, consisting of eight keen and diverse individuals from across Ontario, were instrumental in guiding the conference. Of the ten youth selected, eight continued throughout the entire conference. Pat Sanagan acted as the project coordinator.

The marketers that aided in the planning and implementation of the project included: Nancy Miller (Miller Neighbour and Associates) Tim Keenleyside (Fingerprint Communications) and Mike Farrell (Youthography). They helped the participants create unique strategies towards the development of a campaign. From June 26th until June 28th youth, 22 health promoters, the steering committee, PAD support staff, presenters’ and facilitators gathered at the Bank on Montreal’s Institute for Learning to participate in “un-conventional” convention for youth.

“Researchers have followed groups of young people over several years, measured their experience to alcohol advertising and looked at their exposure to alcohol advertising and looked at their subsequent drinking behaviour. The more alcohol advertising young people report having seen on TV, radio, billboards and in magazines, the more likely they are to drink and drive, more even when studies controlled for the amount of alcohol sales in those environments” Dr. Jernigan, Research Director, centre for alcohol marketing and youth risky drinking: The Un-Conference.

The participants attended workshops, completed teamwork exercises and came up with the most effective ways to market to youths.

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