Alcohol-Free Activities—Community activities can be organized as alcohol-free (e.g., alcohol-free Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve celebrations).

Conference/Workshop Presentation—Use the existing Too Smart To Start PowerPoint presentations in the Community Action Kit or create your own to educate attendees at a conference or workshop about the TSTS initiative, the problem of underage alcohol use, and what they can do to get involved locally.

Community Mural—Organize the community in creating a mural to illustrate the harms of underage alcohol use or the benefits of not using alcohol until later. This activity can be added to an ongoing event such as a county or school fair.

Community Service Activities—Get youth involved in community service projects, like cleaning up a local park, visiting nursing home residents, or raising money for a local charity.

Competitive Event—Sponsor a poster, banner, or song contest in which children compete against each other or where parents and their children compete together by working on creative ways to express underage alcohol use prevention messages.

Direct Mail Campaign—Send information about TSTS initiative and supporting activities to large groups of community members (i.e., send teachers information about preparing a lesson about the harms of underage alcohol use).

Exhibit—Create a display of TSTS and other underage alcohol use prevention materials to be used at a community, school, or church event. Have materials such as factsheets, brochures, and promotional items available for parents and other community members to take with them, and a sign-up sheet or contact number for those interested in becoming involved with your efforts.

Faith Community Assembly—Collaborate with faith-based organizations to host activities such as educational or skills-building sessions.

Health Fair—Organize an event around health issues that relate to 9- to 13-year-olds and their parents, and include information and activities that focus on underage alcohol use prevention and promote TSTS. Collaborate with other youth-serving organizations to increase participation and attendance.

Information Hotline—Set up a telephone hotline with counselors who can answer questions from 9- to 13-year-olds and their parents/caregivers about underage alcohol use and prevention.

Life Skills Training for Youth—Provide social and personal skills training for youth in areas that will help them focus on the future. Possible skills include money management and organizational and communi-cations skills.

Media Campaign—Use the mass media to publicize the initiative and its message through press releases, public service announcements, letters to the editor, and opinion/editorial articles.

Multi-Agency Coordination and Collaboration—Organizations that serve youth and families and that promote healthy choices can pool their resources and collaborate their efforts to create a greater voice for change in the community.

Neighbor-to-Neighbor Outreach—Recruit community volunteers to educate their neighbors about underage alcohol use and prevention. Methods may include setting up a booth at a block party, handing out flyers at a local business, or talking at a community meeting.

Open House—Invite the public to enjoy alcohol-free activities at your facility while learning about your organization’s mission and programs, especially those designed to prevent underage alcohol use.

Peer Leader/Helper Program—Create or work with existing peer leadership or youth helper programs that teach youth leadership skills and that help them funnel these skills into positive behavior in the community. For instance, encourage youth to serve as big brothers/big sisters or to visit with nursing home residents.

Peer-to-Peer Outreach—Recruit parents/caregivers and 9- to 13-year-olds to volunteer to talk to their peers about underage alcohol use and prevention.

Speaking Engagements—Arrange to have a speaker give a presentation about Too Smart To Start at events like PTA meetings or neighborhood association meetings.

Spokesperson Presentation—A spokesperson from the local task force can give a PowerPoint presen-tation at a local meeting or event, such as a PTA or neighborhood association meeting.

Street Theatre—Work with 9- to 13-year-olds to create a skit about underage alcohol use that can be performed in the community on a main street or in a community park. This also can be an educational and entertaining component of a community street party or street festival.

Town Hall Meeting—Hold a meeting for parents, community leaders and members, and 9- to 13-year-olds to talk about the issue of underage alcohol use in your community. Provide opportunities for chil-dren to express their opinions about what the community can do to help prevent underage alcohol use.

TV/Radio Appearances—An initiative spokesperson can discuss TSTS on TV or radio in public service announcements or on a talk show. If the spokesperson is pitched to the media as an expert in underage alcohol use prevention, he or she may be asked to appear on a news program.

Web Chats—Set up Internet chat rooms with the topic of the dangers of underage alcohol use. Many Internet Service Provides will donate the space. A volunteer can act as facilitator, and rooms can be geared towards youth or parents and caregivers.

Communications Products

Billboards—Purchasing space on area road billboards will convey the Too Smart To Start message to adults. Include a short headline and contact information.

Bumper Stickers—Bumper stickers are popular giveaways at community events. Children can contrib-ute to the design.

Exhibit—County, school, and church fairs are excellent opportunities to display a Too Smart To Start exhibit. A table or booth at such events could include brochures, bumper stickers, factsheets, and encourage parents and children to ask questions about substance use.

Flyers—Local businesses and organizations (e.g., hair salons, barbershops, churches) are often happy to display community event flyers.

Movie Trailers—Contact your local cinema manager for information about producing a public service trailer. Local children can contribute to the design.

Postcard/E-card—Postcards and E-cards are an effective way to get Too Smart To Start information to the target audience using colorful, attention-getting images and a brief message (i.e., invitation to an event, announcing a new Web site).

Transit Cards—Many area transit systems sell advertising space on their transit cards. Though such space is generally small, it will accommodate an organization’s name and contact information.

Video News Release—Producing a video news release increases the likelihood of media coverage, since you will have done all the work. You might include footage of the organization’s or event’s location, interviews with children and parents, and a spokesperson’s statement about Too Smart To Start’s mission and the dangers of underage alcohol use.