How to spread the Be There message

Friday 24 May 2013

Think of the highly visible "designated-driver when drinking," "missing kids" and "anti-drug" campaigns. Their messages were everywhere - and their successes were measurable.* That's the idea of the Be There campaign - constant inspirational reminders to Be There for our children.

From the superintendent and school board members to principals and staff - all need to champion the cause. It’s easy to do, just:

Distribute the materials to your parents and around the community
Display the posters in every school and in the library, chambers of commerce buildings and business partner establishments
Insert the Be There logo on your website, letterhead and school marquees
Link to the Be There website from your homepage
Remind parents to Be There at the end of speeches, on-hold statements and telephone outreach messages
Get local media involved as a partner

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Other school districts have implemented the campaign in unique ways to fit their community. You too can make it your own. The choice is yours.

* According to The Ad Council, "Eighty-four percent of Americans recall having seen or heard a Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk public service announcement. Nearly 80 percent report they took action to prevent a friend or loved one from driving drunk, and 25 percent report they stopped drinking and driving as a result of the campaign." Those are significant results because millions of people were exposed to a powerful message over and over again. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, "If there's one thing health experts know, it's that you don't influence behavior by telling people what to do. You do it by exposing them to enough cases of people behaving well that it creates a new norm."