Individuals and Organizations Can
Prevent Teen Drinking
Each of us can do something to prevent teen drinking—
and support our neighbors, business community, and service organizations that also want to help limit teen access to alcohol.
How to Start
- Establish a local committee within your organization or create a coalition—and mailing lists or listservs—of organizations that could or should be involved in activities surrounding the We Don't Serve Teens campaign (for example, law enforcement organizations, retailers, local service groups, media, public officials, houses of worship, restaurants, delis, or clubs).
- Get a supply of free publications and other items related to the campaign. Download immediately or order from bulkorder.ftc.gov.
Use the Media
- Plan a special media event to kick off the We Don't Serve Teens campaign.
- Send the announcer copy to your favorite radio personalities. Ask them to read these scripts on the air. Find station contacts using the telephone book or Internet search engines.
- Send the op-ed to your local newspaper's editorial page staff. Ask them to print it when appropriate. Find newspaper contacts using the telephone book or Internet search engines. No circulation is too small.
- Call your local television stations to suggest a news story on parents who don't serve teens alcohol, and the kids who support them.
- Send the prepared press release or issue your own media alert to radio stations, newspapers, and civic and social organizations announcing your own upcoming We Don't Serve Teens campaign. List spokespeople from your organization who can talk about the issue, and how the community can support local parents.
- Send the print public service announcement (PDF; get Adobe Reader) to local newspapers, your high school newspaper, PTA, and other newsletters for publication.
- Prepare a letter to the editor — signed by you or your organization's president — calling for an end to serving alcohol to teens. Send it to local newspapers, community newsletters, websites, and bloggers.
- Host a brown bag lunch or broadcast breakfast for reporters in your area who cover the education, lifestyle, business, and police beats. Enlist their help in putting the spotlight on people or stores who break the law by giving teens alcohol, as well as community heroes — people and organizations — who don't serve teens.
- Submit a column (PDF; get Adobe Reader) for publication in local newspapers, organization newsletters, and websites. Reprint permission is granted, as long as the content is not changed.
- Use radio, newspaper, and local cable television community calendars to publicize local activities related to the We Don't Serve Teens campaign. Meet with local cable operators to talk about programming for increasing audience awareness of the issue of teen access to alcohol and the campaign.
- Ask a local media personality to become involved in your campaign, and to help publicize the campaign message.
- Issue a proclamation with or without a signing ceremony (by the Governor, Mayor, County Executive, City Council, or County Board). Notify the press.
- Ask for space on transit or electronic billboards to display a campaign message.
Reach Out To Your Community
- Convene a meeting of your staff to talk about ways your organization can promote the We Don't Serve Teens campaign in your community.
- Send We Don't Serve Teens information to potential participating organizations. Ask them to publicize the campaign through their newsletters, websites or other means of communication. Work with other national or state organizations to find out if there are opportunities to combine the We Don't Serve Teens campaign with other events.
- Encourage parents and other family members to sign a pledge that they won't serve alcohol to teens. This pledge could be announced at the beginning of a month through a media event hosted by an area school or club.
- Reproduce the materials on this website and share at conferences and meetings you attend throughout the year.
- Use artwork provided on this website to create fliers for use as shopping bag stuffers by retailers or as bill statement stuffers. Promote the importance of awareness of 21 as the legal drinking age.
- Ask local stores to print awareness messages on their bags.
- Plan a special community "kick off" event, such as a community or neighborhood forum, to publicize the issue of teen access to alcohol.
- Ask your local library to distribute information.
- Sponsor a We Don't Serve Teens booth at local fairs in schools, parks, malls, or parking lots.
- Notify the faith-based community in your area about the We Don't Serve Teens campaign. Offer materials and ask that they mention the campaign in their bulletins or on their websites.
- Ask local bookstores, movie theaters, car dealerships, and other venues to distribute fliers, postcards, or bookmarks.
- Provide information to one corporation or business during each month of the year for dissemination to employee families. Employee assistance programs can help do this.
Use Your Business
- Reproduce the We Don't Serve Teens graphics on shopping bags or receipts.
- Provide additional materials at check-out counters.
Use the Web
- Use the We Don't Serve Teens banners and buttons on your website.
- Add the public service announcements to your website.
In Print (PDF; get Adobe Reader) and In Video (MPG format)
Other Ideas
- Duplicate and share this list of ideas.
Don't serve alcohol to teens.
It's unsafe. It's illegal. It's irresponsible.