H.S. Graduate or Junkie? Exposing the Consequences of Meth Use in the Teen Maze

March 29, 2012 Print This Post

 

We at the Georgia Meth Project launched a new edition of our campaign in November titled “Ask MethProject.org.”  Within 90 days our new ads—designed to expose the dangers of methamphetamine—experienced more than 34 million hits on YouTube. More than 4.7 million of those hits came from Georgia.

Since March 2010 we have run more than 48,000 broadcasts of radio and television advertisements, and we have placed more than 500 billboards all over Georgia. Our full-time staff and trained volunteers continue to work tirelessly to expand our outreach to teens in Georgia communities and schools.

We invite you to give us creative ideas about how to get out the messages of “Not Even Once” and “Ask MethProject.org.”

We recently had discussions about how to raise awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine as a component of the Teen Maze that so many of your collaborative organizations bring to your communities. Here are some parameters we think make sense for framing the proper messages about methamphetamine, and some ideas about how the Georgia Meth Project can assist local communities in the effort.

1. Create a setting that grabs the attention of teens by promoting the message of “Not Even Once.”  Our campaign is intended to be an “education campaign” rather than a “scare campaign.”  The reality of Meth usage is scary enough without trying to manufacture images that only make teens skeptical about the message.  A “haunted house” approach is not an effective way to promote the message. 
2. Run the Georgia Meth Project radio ads on a continuous loop so when teens enter the room they hear authentic voices of real teens who have suffered the consequences of their own Meth use.  Some of our favorites are “Devin,” “Brooke,” “Tim,” and “Hailey.”  Another idea is to also run the television commercials, but we think the radio ads will be more powerful in this setting. 
3. Utilize the Georgia Meth Project posters and billboard images on the walls.  We have a good quantity of these that we can easily provide to communities.
4. Use some of our most compelling statistics and place them around the room.  Limit their use to no more than three so they stand out. These appear on our website at georgia.methproject.org. Some of the better ones: 1 in 3 teens see little to no risk in trying Meth, 1 in 4 young adults have close friends who use Meth, 1 in 4 teens perceive some kind of benefit in using Meth.
5. Give a “Not Even Once” bracelet to every teen going through the Teen Maze.  We can’t provide all the bracelets that every community in Georgia might need, but we can provide some number of them.  These items are relatively inexpensive if a community thinks it will need large quantities, and we can assist in the ordering process.

As always, we are prepared to answer any questions and provide additional advice on the Georgia Meth Project and how to have a successful Meth awareness component of a Teen Maze.  We invite you to visit GeorgiaMethProject.org to check out the newest ads and to see our creative educational ideas. We also invite you to go to our Facebook page and “like” us so you can stay up-to-date on all the latest Georgia Meth Project activities. 

For additional information, please contact Latrina Patrick at lpatrick@georgiamethproject.org or by phone at 404-239-1783.

Or you may contact me at jlangford@georgiamethproject.org or by phone at 404-831-1959.