Communities all across Washington are working together to “Draw the Line” between youth and alcohol. Rallies, town hall meetings, half-time activities at high school sporting events, and outreach such as putting “Let’s Draw the Line” T-shirts on public statues are just some of the ways communities are getting engaged in helping to keep our kids safe.

The campaign
The “Let’s Draw the Line” campaign is a project of the Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (RUaD). Co-chaired by Washington State Liquor Control Board Chair Sharon Foster and Michael Langer, Behavioral Health Administrator for the DSHS Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, the RUaD Coalition is composed of representatives from various state agencies, law enforcement, prevention organizations, parents and youth.

Launched in fall 2010, the campaign, using bold blue and black colors, brings attention to two issues: 1) the penalties for providing alcohol to minors; and 2) advertising rule changes that limit outdoor alcohol advertising at businesses. RUaD is providing a stipend of $500 to $1,000 to communities that pledge to meet a minimum set of requirements in implementing the campaign. Materials such as information cards, window clings and pledge cards are available. Creativity is encouraged, and local coalitions are finding unique ways to get the messages across.

On the web
Social media has been an important avenue of the campaign. The RUaD Communications Impact Team worked with an advertising agency to develop the campaign and to place ads on various Internet sites. A video of youth and adults taken at the kick-off event at the October Washington State Prevention Summit was placed on YouTube and is now linked on many community and state websites. Local communities are encouraged to share their activities on the campaign’s Facebook site and their own websites. This viral marketing has been effective in spreading the word.

Local community action
Community coalitions continue to build on the statewide efforts. As of early March, thousands of information cards had been distributed at community events. Window clings stating the penalties for furnishing alcohol to minors are being distributed to local retail outlets. Hundreds of “Let’s Draw the Line” wristbands are being worn, and thousands of signed postcards pledging to draw the line between youth and alcohol have been collected.

Learn more
To learn more about the campaign, visit www.letsdrawtheline.org, and check out the Facebook page by clicking on the link on the Let’s Draw the Line homepage.