Youth

Promoting Healthy Communities • Protecting Youth

Media

The Mayor's Substance Abuse Prevention Council (MSAPC) has been engaged in a grant funded, original, youth driven media campaign since 2008. It was created for youth, by youth, with youth through focus groups and conversations. It encompasses television, radio and bus shelters and highlights local kids and their messages both given and received. Using the message of "Promoting Positivity", the kids give healthy alternatives to substance abuse behaviors.

Using federal grant funding, the MSAPC successfully launched an original multi-media, citywide underage drinking prevention campaign, "Promoting Positivity." The campaign features television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on CW TV, Fox News and NBC10, radio station PSAs on Hot 106, and bus shelter ads throughout the City. The campaign urges youth to make positive choices in their lives and avoid alcohol and drugs. The television and radio stations reach a statewide audience.

The MSAPC has sponsored the following number of annual PSAs as part of the Promoting Positivity Campaign:

• 510 television PSAs
• 140 radio PSAs
• 420 bus shelters

In addition, the MSAPC partnered with Hot 106 and the Citidel Broadcasting Company to sponsor three youth prevention events. Students competed to have their schools win the Hot High-School Hook-up, Hot 106 Prom Crashers, and to attend Summer Movie Madness events. As part of these events, youth texted in over 650,000 pledges to stay sober.