“Lead by Example” Parent Campaign to Prevent
Underage Drinking is Re-launched
by Christine Lloyd-Newberry
November 4, 2010, page 2.....

CY-Connecting Youth is currently re-launching the “Lead by Example” underage drinking campaign to educate Chittenden South parents about their influence in reducing underage drinking. CY will be aligning its efforts and working with the Vermont Department of Health’s “Parent Up” state-wide initiative. 
 CY first launched the underage drinking campaign last September after a 2009 CY web survey of parents found that, while 95% of parents with 8th through 12th graders believe that they do influence teen choices around alcohol use, only 52% of parents say they talk to their teens at least once a month about the dangers of drinking alcohol.
 To promote positive change, CY designed a social marketing campaign to help parents understand that it is not inevitable that teens will drink alcohol – it is in fact illegal to provide alcohol to minors, even your own children in your own home – and that parents are the primary influence in teen decision-making about alcohol use.
 Thanks in large part to the local media and the communities of Charlotte, Hinesburg, St. George, Shelburne and Williston, the 2009 campaign proved to be a success. According to surveys, 81% of parents had heard about the campaign and 78% found the information to be helpful. 
 In June of 2010, CY conducted a follow-up web survey of Chittenden South parents that showed several attitude and behavior changes, including:
• Increases in the number of parents who would not allow their children to attend a party if there was alcohol present,
• Increases in the number of parents who do not think it is okay for teens to drink alcohol,
• Decreases in the number of parents who think allowing teens to drink at home will help them drink responsibly,
• Increases in parents’ knowledge of the laws and penalties surrounding underage drinking.
CY is re-launching the campaign with the goal of increasing the number of parents who speak to their teenagers about alcohol at least once a month. This is the same goal of the statewide Parent Up campaign, and throughout the next several months, CY will encourage parents to know the risks and laws associated with underage drinking, to share this information with their teens, and to set clear no-use guidelines around alcohol use by teens.     
 To learn more about the Lead By Example or Parent Up campaigns, visit seewhy.info or parentupvt.org.  If you have specific questions or concerns, you can contact me at 383-1230 or cnewberry@cssu.org.
 
Christine Lloyd-Newberry, CY Program Director

CY - Connecting Youth is a community-based organization dedicated to creating a safe and healthy environment for young people. Operating out of the Chittenden South Supervisory Union, CY serves the communities of Charlotte, Hinesburg, St. George, Shelburne and Williston and is located online at seewhy.info and on Facebook at facebook.com/connectingyouth.