Media Package (archive 2005)
Welcome to the Reach Out Now National Teach-In for 2005!
Your organization, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, and State and community leaders across the country
recognize that underage drinking is a serious public health issue.
We also recognize it is never too soon to begin sending that message
to our children. Age 10 or 11 is not too young to start. Your Teach-In
is part of a nationwide effort to get this message out to parents,
teachers, and others who influence young children and the decisions
they make. A child’s decision not to drink creates health
benefits that last a lifetime.
Now that you are coordinating a local Reach Out Now Teach-In,
you will want to publicize it. It is time to involve the media
in spreading the Reach Out Now message.
This package contains tools that can help you engage the media’s
support, and includes:
View in pdf format
Using the Information in This Package
Key Points
Sample Media Advisory
Sample Pitch Letter
Sample Press Release
Sample Op-Ed
Sample Proclamation
Downloadable Logo Images (in different formats)
Prominent Community Leader Letter | PDF
The information is presented in template format. The sample materials
include blanks in which you can insert the most relevant local
information. Use the samples as guides as you develop your own
materials. You can either adapt them to include information about
your own community, or use them as written. Electronic versions
of all text in this package may be downloaded from www.teachin.samhsa.gov.
Using
the Information in This Package
The
media, such as local newspapers, and radio and television stations,
are excellent ways to share information with large audiences.
An important part of a media organization’s mandate is
to be of public service. Thus, the media should welcome an
opportunity to
address the problem of underage drinking. Your goal in reaching
parents, caregivers, and others through the media should be
to encourage conversations
in families, schools, and communities about preventing underage
drinking.
Develop or use an already developed list of media contacts who
cover stories about health, substance abuse, and education. Don’t
overlook community newspapers as potential outlets for raising
awareness about your Teach-In and its message. In addition, local
faith-based organizations and youth-related groups may publish
their own newsletters and be eager to support your Teach-In objectives.
NOTE: In working with reporters, remember that they are frequently
on deadline and may not return messages quickly. Be sensitive to
their time constraints. Be patient, but persistent. Your Reach
Out Now Teach-In has an important message to share with your community.
How to Use Key Points
The Key Points included in this packet provide statistics and
other information that highlight the importance of the Reach
Out Now National Teach-In message. When contacting the media to secure
their coverage of your Teach-In, use this information to emphasize
that underage drinking is a public health problem of interest to
the media’s audience. Work Key Points into the materials
you submit to the media for print or broadcast. Offer them, in
advance, to your guest speakers to include in their remarks. These
points also are useful to your organization’s spokesperson
who will be responding to media questions about your Teach-In.
The Key Points include facts about underage alcohol use. For a
greater effect and to bring the message “home,” add
some statistics about underage drinking in your own community.
The unit responsible for alcohol and drug services within your
county’s health department, or a substance abuse prevention
group in your community, should be able to provide these data.
Using local statistics or a local news story about underage drinking
will reinforce the message that fifth- and sixth-grade children
in your community are not too young to learn about the harmful
effects of underage alcohol use and how they can resist pressure
to get involved in alcohol use.
How to Use a Media Advisory
Media are more responsive to requests for space or air-time when
they receive information about a local issue and receive it in
a ready-to-use format and style. A media advisory alerts the media
to your upcoming Reach Out Now Teach-In, providing just
enough information to encourage reporters to cover the event.
An advisory includes only the highlights of your event in outline
form: who, what, where, when, why, contact information, and interview
opportunities. When selecting a contact person, remember that this
individual must be available to take calls in advance and on the
day of the event. Include a short paragraph giving a minimum of
helpful background information. Lead off your media advisory, as
well as other information you submit to media, with a short informative
or catchy title to draw attention to your message. The intent is
to get the reporter to cover your Teach-In event.
Send the advisory a week in advance of your Teach-In so reporters
can schedule coverage.
How to Use a Pitch Letter
A personal approach can
make all the difference in getting media coverage for your Teach-In.
A pitch letter is an effective way
to garner media coverage. More informal than a press release and
more substantial than a media advisory, the pitch letter gives
a reporter both a story idea and information needed to get started.
Your pitch letter should include a brief description of your Reach
Out Now Teach-In and key facts underlining its importance
to your community and to children’s health. Include a contact
name and telephone number to make it easy for the reporter to get
more
information.
Send pitch letters a week in advance of your event. Make a follow-up
call the next day to be sure the reporter received your information
and to encourage coverage.
How to Use a Press Release
A press release, one to two pages in length, provides complete
information the media can use to write a story on your event.
The general format for a press release includes an introductory
paragraph providing the “who, what, when, where, and why” of
an event; in other words, all of the essential information. The
next one or two paragraphs contain supporting information. Quotes
by key local leaders or individuals involved in the Teach-In
can make this information more lively and interesting. The final
paragraph generally describes the sponsoring organizations. When
issuing your press release, use printed letterhead. Mark the
end of each page with “more” and the end of each
release with “-30-“ or “###.”
Press releases are delivered to the media the day of your Reach
Out Now Teach-In.
How to Use a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed Piece
Consider submitting a letter to the editor or an op-ed piece
(an opinion editorial article) to increase public awareness about
the dangers of underage drinking and to engage broader participation
in your Reach Out Now National Teach-In. Whenever possible,
get a prominent community member to sign the piece. Not only
will
it make it more likely that the piece will be used, it also will
give greater “weight” to the message. Offer to provide
a draft letter or op-ed to encourage the leader’s involvement.
A letter to the editor, most often, is written in prompt response
to published articles. You might, for example, write a letter to
the editor in response to any articles written about your Teach-In.
Such a letter is an excellent opportunity to emphasize key points
about alcohol use and the need for parents and other adults to
talk with young children about alcohol. You also can write a letter
to the editor about the harmful effects of underage drinking in
response to any other articles related to the subject. For example,
April is Alcohol Awareness Month and this year’s theme is “Together,
We Can Stop Underage Drinking!” Any article related to this
national observation can easily be linked to the Reach Out
Now National Teach-In message.
An op-ed does not have to be written in response to a previously
published story. An op-ed can be used to increase community awareness
of the risks associated with underage drinking and to generate
support for your Teach-In. Impress upon readers the seriousness
of underage drinking by inserting several key points in your text.
Describe why underage drinking is harmful, include references to
a recent local incident related to underage drinking (if possible),
and tell how parents and others can help children avoid alcohol
use. Include the author’s name and title at the end of the
piece. An e-mail address for contacting the author for additional
information is optional.
How to Use a Public Service Announcement
Public service announcements (PSAs) are messages the media broadcasts
or prints free of charge to serve the public good. Most media
outlets have public service directors who handle requests for
PSA placement. Radio, television, and print PSAs ready for use
will be available soon at 2004 Media Package.
How to Use a Proclamation
A proclamation is an official designation of an event, such as
declaring April 18–22, 2005, as Reach Out Now National
Teach-In Week. It includes several key facts, beginning with the
word “Whereas,” to
support the designation.
A proclamation is an effective tool for gaining public recognition
of your Teach-In event because it carries the full support of a
key government official in your State or community. Governors,
county executives, mayors, State legislatures, municipalities,
counties, cities, or towns can issue proclamations. Contact a member
of the appropriate communications office to identify the steps
you need to take to get Reach Out Now Teach-In Week proclamation
issued.
There are several steps you can take to publicize your proclamation.
If the signing takes place at a news conference, distribute printed
copies to reporters. Have the proclamation photo-enlarged to poster
size for display at the news conference and, afterwards, in a prominent
public place. Send copies of your Reach Out Now Teach-In Week proclamation
to local newspapers. As with any media piece, demonstrate its importance
to the media’s audience by including local statistics. If
the Governor of your State will be issuing the Reach Out Now Teach-In
Week proclamation, use State-level information. Information about
alcohol and drug use and treatment at the State level is available
from SAMHSA’s Office of Applied Studies at http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/states.htm.
Key Points
-
Approximately 4.4 million children ages 12 to 17
reported drinking alcohol during the month prior to the survey
interview in 2003. That is 18 percent of all children in that
age group, or about one out of every five.1
-
Approximately 8.6
million children ages 12 to 17 reported drinking alcohol
during the year prior to the survey
interview in 2003. That is 35 percent of all children in
that age group, or more than one in three.2
-
Alcohol use
among children and adolescents starts early and increases
rapidly with age. Three percent of 12-year-olds
report using alcohol in the previous month. That percentage
doubles to 6 percent by age 13. By age 14, the percent
of adolescents who report using alcohol in the previous month
reaches 13 percent; by age 15 it reaches 21 percent.
This represents a sevenfold increase in reported alcohol use
in
3 years!3
-
By the time they reach 8th grade, nearly 46 percent
of adolescents report using alcohol illegally at least
once, and more than 20 percent report having been “drunk.”4
-
Underage
alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all
illegal drugs combined.5,6
-
Subtle, alcohol-induced adolescent
learning impairments could affect academic and occupational
achievement.
- Family factors, such as parent-child relationships,
discipline methods, communication, monitoring and
supervision, and parental involvement exert a significant
influence on
youthful alcohol use.
1 Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2004). Results
from
the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings
(NSDUH Series H-25), DHHS Publication No. SMA-04-3964, Rockville,
MD.
2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
(2004). Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
National
Findings (NSDUH Series H-25), DHHS Publication No. SMA-04-3964,
Rockville, MD.
3 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
(2004). Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
National
Findings (NSDUH Series H-25), DHHS Publication No. SMA-04-3964,
Rockville, MD.
4 Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P.M., Bachman,
J.G., and Schulenberg, J.E. (2004). Monitoring the Future: National
Results on Adolescent
Drug Use: Key Alcohol Findings, 2003. (NIH Publication No. 04-5506).
National Institute on Drug Abuse. Bethesda, MD.
5 Grunbaum, J.A., Kann, L., Kinchen,
S.A., et al. (2002). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance: United
States, 2001. MMWR: Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report 51(SSO 4): 1-62.
.
6 Corley, R.P., Stallings, M.C., et al. (2002). Substance Use, Abuse and Dependence
in Adolescence: Prevalence, Symptom Profiles, and Correlates.
7 Spear, L. (2002). Adolescent Brain and the College Drinker:
Biological Basis of Propensity to Use and Misuse Alcohol. Journal
of Studies
on Alcohol (Suppl. 14): 71-81.
8 Spoth, R., Redmond, C., and Lepper, H. (1999). Alcohol Initiation
Outcomes of Universal Family-focused Preventive Interventions:
One- and Two-year Follow-ups
of a Controlled Study. Journal of Studies on Alcohol. (Suppl. 13): 103-111.
| Reach Out Now National Teach-In
Name of Your Organization |
Sample Media Advisory |
| For Immediate Release |
Contact: Your Organization |
| April __, 2005 |
Spokesperson |
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_________________ (day) |
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_________________ (evening) |
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_________________ (e-mail) |
| _________________ School Fifth Graders (or Sixth
Graders) to Get Sobering Lesson in Alcohol Use |
____________________ School in _______________
(Community) is one of hundreds of schools nationwide that will
be holding a Reach Out Now Teach-In during April
18–22
to educate fifth-grade (or sixth-grade) students, parents,
and caregivers about the harmful effects of underage drinking.
________________ (Teach-In leader/guest spokesperson) will
lead the discussion about why and how young people can avoid
alcohol use. ______________________ (Your organization), in
collaboration with the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, has sponsored the event. New data have found that
around 25 percent of youngsters, ages 12-20 have used alcohol
illegally. By the time they reach the eighth grade, nearly
50 percent of adolescents have had at least one drink, and
over 20 percent report having been “drunk.” |
|
(Local statistics or a one-sentence story to
reinforce importance to the community.) |
| What: |
Reach Out Now National Teach-In event |
| When: |
April __, 2005, at ______ a.m./p.m. |
| Where: |
__________________________ School
__________________________
__________________________ (Address)
|
| Who: |
__________________________ (Title/position)
After the program, ____________________(Guest spokesperson),
Principal ______________________, and _________________________
(your organization’s representative) will be available
for interviews
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Sample Pitch Letter
[Name of editor]
[Title]
[Name of news organization]
[Address]
Dear ____________________ (Name):
When people hear the phrase “underage drinking,” they
often think of teenagers using alcohol. By the time they reach
the eighth grade, nearly 50 percent of adolescents have had at
least one drink, and over 20 percent report having been “drunk.”
Fifth grade (or sixth grade) is not too soon to begin talking
with children and youth about illegal alcohol use. On April __,
2005, at ___ a.m./p.m., ________________________ (your organization)
and ________________ (guest spokesperson) will be sponsoring a
Reach Out Now Teach-In for fifth-grade (or sixth-grade) students
at ______________________ School in _________________ (Community).
The Reach Out Now National Teach-In is a nationwide effort by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to make fifth and
sixth graders, parents, caregivers, and other adults more aware
of the harmful effects of underage drinking.
Please attend our Reach Out Now National Teach-In. _______________
School is one of hundreds of schools nationwide that will be holding
a Teach-In. Children in our community need to know how to reject
underage alcohol use and how potentially damaging underage drinking
is to their health today and tomorrow.
Spokespeople will be available for interviews, either before or
immediately after the event. I would be pleased to put you in touch
with them.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your title]
[Your phone number]
[Your e-mail address]
|
| For Immediate Release |
Contact: Your Organization |
| April __, 2005 |
Spokesperson |
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_________________ (day)
______________ (evening)
_______________ (e-mail)
|
| ___________________ School Fifth (or Sixth) Graders
Get Sobering Lesson in Alcohol Use |
| __________________________ (Your community; date).
Fifth (or sixth) graders at _____________________ School
in ___________________ (community) will learn about the dangers
of underage alcohol use when _______________________ (Teach-In
leader/guest spokesperson) visits their school to participate
in a Reach Out Now Teach-In. ________________ School is one
of hundreds of schools nationwide that will be holding a
Reach Out Now Teach-In during April 18–22. April is
Alcohol Awareness Month. The Reach Out Now National Teach-In
is a nationwide program sponsored by the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, to help prevent
underage drinking.
“Most fifth (or sixth) graders in our community are
not using alcohol, but it is a decision many face,” said
_____________________ (Guest or your organization’s
spokesperson). “More than one-third of fourth graders
say that they already have been pressured by their peers
to drink alcohol. Far too many children are beginning to
drink at a dangerously early age. This Reach Out Now Teach-In
is an important step in helping our kids get a clear and
consistent message at home and at school that underage drinking
is dangerous, illegal, and unacceptable.”
__________________________ (Local statistics or story to
reinforce the message; e.g., number of underage drinkers
involved in traffic accidents or other community events tied
to Alcohol Awareness Month.)
For the fourth year in a row, SAMHSA has joined with Scholastic,
Inc., to distribute alcohol prevention materials to every
fifth- and sixth-grade class in America in time for Alcohol
Awareness Month. Each classroom received Reach Out Now: Talk
With Your Fifth Grader About Underage Alcohol Use or Reach
Out Now: Prevent Underage Alcohol Use By Talking With Your
Sixth Graders in formats for both classroom teachers and
parents.
(more)
SAMHSA reports that families exert a great deal of influence
on whether a child uses alcohol later in life. “What
parents may not realize,” says SAMHSA Administrator
Charles G. Curie, “is that children say that their
parents’ disapproval of underage drinking is the key
reason they have chosen not to drink.” SAMHSA reports
that children and teens are less likely to abuse alcohol
if parents are involved in their children’s lives,
make and enforce clear rules, and are positive role models.
______________________________ (Your organization), in collaboration
with SAMHSA, is leading the Teach-In. SAMHSA is an agency
within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
SAMHSA partners in this effort include the Leadership to
Keep Children Alcohol Free, a national campaign led by Governors’ spouses
to prevent use by 9- to 15-year-olds; the American Medical
Association; the Center for Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws;
the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America; Mothers Against
Drunk Driving (MADD); the National Association of State Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Directors and the National Prevention Network;
the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence; the
National Family Partnership; and PRIDE Youth Programs, Inc.
###
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Sample
Op-Ed
Children and Alcohol: A Sobering Thought
Most fifth- and sixth-grade children in our community are not
using alcohol, but it is a decision many face. How wisely they
choose
is up to us. In one study, one-third of fourth graders and more
than one-half of sixth graders reported having been pressured
by friends to drink alcohol. By the time they reach the eighth
grade, nearly 50 percent of adolescents have had at least one
drink, and over 20 percent report having been “drunk.” Children
and teens in ________________________(Community) need to know
how to reject underage alcohol use and how potentially damaging
underage drinking is to their health today and tomorrow. _____________________
(Your organization) and ____________________ (Guest spokesperson)
have joined with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, to raise public awareness about the dangers of underage
drinking. As part of a nationwide effort, we will be holding
a Reach Out Now Teach-In event for fifth (or sixth)-grade students
at _______________ School on April __, 2005. _____________________
(Guest spokesperson) will lead the discussion about why young
people should reject underage drinking and how they can resist
peer pressure to use alcohol. ___________________ School is one
of hundreds of schools nationwide to hold a Teach-In for fifth
or sixth graders during April 18–22. April is Alcohol Awareness
Month.
The discussion about the harmful effects of underage drinking
cannot stop at the school door. Talk with your child about alcohol.
A
clear and consistent message at school and at home that underage
alcohol use is dangerous and unacceptable will reinforce a child’s
ability to make healthy decisions. For more information about the
subject, log onto www.teachin.samhsa.gov or call SAMHSA’s
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686.
More than 10 million youth between the ages of 12 and 20 drink
alcohol. In the words of SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, “The
benefits from talking to your child about underage drinking can
last a lifetime, and make a lifetime last.”
___________________ (author), is __________________ (title/organization).
For further information, contact the author at _______________
(e-mail address).
Sample Proclamation
Office of the [Governor, Mayor, or County Executive],
[State, City, or County] of [State, City, or County]
PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, in 2003, approximately 10.9 million drinkers were under
legal age (ages 12 to 20); and
WHEREAS, alcohol use among children and adolescents starts early
and increases rapidly with age; and
WHEREAS, by the time they reach the eighth grade, nearly 46 percent
of adolescents have used alcohol illegally at least once, and more
than 20 percent report having been “drunk;” and
WHEREAS, underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people
than all illegal drugs combined [local information]; and
WHEREAS, [local statistics]; and
WHEREAS, family factors, such as parent–child relationships,
discipline methods, communication, monitoring and supervision,
and parental involvement, exert a significant influence on youth
alcohol use; and
WHEREAS, children, with the care and support from family, friends,
health professionals, teachers, clergy, and others, can avoid the
negative effects of alcohol and drugs; and
WHEREAS, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and [your organization’s
name] invite all residents of [your city, county, or State] to
participate in the Reach Out Now Teach-In;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, [official’s full name], [Governor, Mayor,
or County Executive] of [jurisdiction], do hereby proclaim April
18–22, 2005, as
REACH OUT NOW TEACH-IN WEEK
in [jurisdiction] and encourage parents, caregivers, and all residents
of [State, city, or county] to prevent underage alcohol use by
teaching children about the harmful effects of underage alcohol
use and how they can resist pressure to get involved in the use
of alcohol.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to
be affixed the Great Seal of the [State, City, or County] of [State,
City, or County], this [__th] day of [month, year].
SEAL
____________________________
[Governor, Mayor, or County Executive]
____________________________
Secretary of State
For the Reach Out Now National Teach-In Logo please see download options and intended use in descriptions below.
To download the image, right click on the link for the desired format, and then select "Save Target As" from the
drop-down menu.
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View 2004 Teach-In media package.