The Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council (MCSAAC) works to reduce substance abuse in Middlesex County. By coordinating grassroots, community activities, they work to reduce the negative impact of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs on their population, along with prescription drug abuse and addictive gambling. The health of children and young adults is their primary focus.
MCSAAC recently launched a new media campaign with the help of CO:LAB in Hartford. The theme? “Join the Majority of Parents Who Say ‘No’ to Underage Drinking.”
“Underage drinking prevention campaigns are tricky,” writes CO:LAB on their Facebook page. “How do you express the seriousness of the issue without sounding judgmental and therefore alienating potential allies? We worked with MCSAAC to make duty a positive and inclusive community conversation where the majority rules.”
“We shared the facts along with resources for having conversations with teens and providing a safe environment for fun,” says CO:LAB. The campaign’s website, responsiblehosting.org, offers PDFs of campaign materials including posters, brochures, and postcards.
“The social norm is actually for parents to be against social hosting (providing a place for people under 21 to drink alcohol). 80% of parents in Middlesex County reported not serving underage youth and don’t want other adults to serve their teens. So we appealed to that majority to raise awareness and form a united front. As a community, we all depend on each other.”
The main visual impact of the campaign comes from strong messaging written on hands, which succeed in stopping you in your tracks. “To create these images, we literally wrote on the hands of community members committed to responsible hosting.”
Such creative work for social profit has been getting CO:LAB much notice recently.
In November, CO:LAB received 2 awards at the AIGA Cause/Affect International competition, for their Asset Promise and Human Right Here campaigns. The show comprised 30 of the best pieces of do-goodery on the planet.
In October, AIGA launched its Design For Good initiative at the Pivot Conference in Arizona. CO:LAB was featured in the manifesto video discussing design for good and why it matters, and also wrote an article for AIGA’s website with tips on doing work for good.
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