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Too Smart to Start Implementation Guide
Appendix G:
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| For Immediate Release | For More Information Contact: |
| Month, Date, Year | Name, Title (Optional) |
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or |
Telephone (work) |
| Embargoed for Release | Telephone (evenings/weekends) |
| Month, Date, Year, Time | Email: (Optional) |
Catchy or Informative Title
Paragraph One Include who, what, where, when. Begin this introductory paragraph with a “dateline” giving the location if the release is to be circulated outside the immediate area. The balance of the paragraph should include all the essential information. For example:
(Pittsburgh, PA) - The Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation’s Tempering the Valley of Steel Coalition Network (PLF/TVS) will begin a series of weekly afterschool programs for Donora Elementary School students at Emmanuel Baptist Church on April 10 at 3:45 p.m. The programs will be part of a new underage alcohol use prevention initiative, called Too Smart To Start, designed to teach 9 to 13 year olds and their parents and caregivers about the dangers of underage alcohol use.
Paragraph Two More information about the event or activity. Communicating this information in a quotation by a spokesperson is often useful.
Paragraph Three Additional information using key points.
Final Paragraph This closing paragraph can be generic and describe the spon-soring organization, agency, institution, or company. Settling on a standard de-scriptive closing paragraph for all new releases is a good idea.
Media Advisory Format
| For Immediate Release | For More Information Contact: | |||
| Month, Date, Year | Name, Title (Optional) | |||
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Telephone (work); Telephone | |||
| Informative or Catchy Title | (evenings/weekends); | |||
| What: | Give event or subject | Email: (Optional) | ||
| When: | Give time |
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| Who: | Give principals or major players |
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What: Kickoff of Donora Elementary School’s Too Smart To Start afterschool program, featuring Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis.
The afterschool program is designed to teach 9- to 13-year-olds about the harms of underage alcohol use.
When: Thursday, April 10, 2003
3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Mr. Bettis will speak with the kids at 4:15 p.m.
Where: Emmanuel Baptist Church
123 Main Street
Pittsburgh, PA
Who: Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation’s Tempering the Valley of Steel Coalition Network (PLF/TVS)
The Pittsburgh Elks Club
ABC Food Store
WKID 107.6.
After the program, Mr. Bettis, facilitators, and attendees will be available for interviews.
Media Advisory and Press Release Worksheet
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Sample Letter to The Editor
Dear Editor: October 25, 2003
I am writing about the recent survey released by Jane Doe Middle School that revealed 78
percent of its students are not using alcohol. In your October 5 article entitled “Middle School
Measures Alcohol,” I was delighted to learn the primary reason the majority of this age group
does not use is because they don’t want to disappoint their parents.
Numerous studies have found families to be a most important influence on a child’s later alcohol
use behavior. As members of this age group mature, they will be faced with making difficult
decisions as teenagers and young adults and will hopefully filter those decisions through their
families or trusted adults at some point. Families can impart their influence by establishing and
maintaining good communication with their children; getting involved in their children’s lives;
making and enforcing clear rules; being a positive role model; teaching their children to choose
friends wisely; and monitoring their children’s activities.
Recently, Jane Doe Middle School implemented a new initiative called Too Smart To Start that
uses a unique approach to reducing underage alcohol use: prevention education to the 9- to 13-
year-olds and their parents and caregivers. The 9- to 13-year-old population is an important age
group to start our prevention efforts with because the age at first use of alcohol has been found
to be a powerful predictor of lifetime alcohol abuse and dependence. National Institute on
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) research revealed more than 40 percent of individuals
who begin drinking before age 13 are classified with alcohol dependence at some time in their
lives. Too Smart To Start materials are designed to encourage parents to reinforce the good
decisions that their children have already made to not use alcohol. We need to change our
thinking about underage alcohol use from stopping use to preventing use—and continue to take
action to maintain zero percent alcohol use by 9- to 13-year-olds in our community.
As parents, we have a special opportunity to influence the decisions young people will make
concerning alcohol use. Engaging them in a continuing conversation about alcohol, teaching
them about its effects, correcting misperceptions, and remembering to support them as they
choose not to use alcohol as minors are among the ways we can help our children make posi-
tive, healthy choices about underage alcohol use.
Sincerely,
John Smith (301-555-5555)
Editorial Worksheet
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DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 03-3866 Printed 2003
Public Domain Notice
All material appearing in this guide is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). However, this publication may not be reproduced or distributed for a fee without specific, written authorization of the Office of Communications, SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Citation of the source is appreciated. Suggested citation:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Too Smart To Start Implementation Guide. Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 03-3866. Rockville, MD, 2003.
Copies may be obtained, free of charge, from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). NCADI is a service of SAMHSA. For copies of publications, please write or call:
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345, (301) 468-2600, 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889
Electronic Access to Publication
This publication can be accessed electronically through the Internet World Wide Web connection at: www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov