Is your Youth Action Team looking for a way to celebrate Red Ribbon Week? A great way to celebrate Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31) is by utilizing the Be Red Campaign. The goal of Be Red is to take a stand for being alcohol, tobacco and other drug free and to highlight substance abuse prevention efforts in schools and communities. The Be Red campaign is modeled after a youth-driven media awareness campaign, I Wear Red: Bringing Youth Voice to Action, developed by the Oregon Partnership YouthLink Program.
Below are some quick and easy ways to get you going with your Be Red campaign:
Red Bs: Make or purchase a variety of Bs and paint them red. Hobby Lobby, Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics sell paper, wood and plastic letters in unique sizes and fonts. You can also use different fonts on your computer to print out different versions of the letter B in red or print the Bs on red paper and cut them out. You can draw them free-hand on red construction paper or poster board. Post these Bs all over school and/or the community.- Be Red Scavenger Hunt: Partner with your local newspaper or radio station to publicize a scavenger hunt. During Red Ribbon Week, have participants locate as many red Bs as they can. They are not to remove or move them in any way, but they need to describe where each B was found. At the end of the week, those who found the most can win a prize or be enetered in a drawing for a prize. This can also be done on a school level instead of a community level.
Be Red Photos: Recruit team members, family, friends and local public figures to pose around your school or community holding or wearing something red. The picture could be taken with a red letter B, a red t-shirt, red shoes, etc. Ask them to complete the sentence “I wear Red because…” on a small whiteboard. Possible sentence completions could be “I wear Red so my family doesn’t have to experience addiction.” “I wear Red so no one drives drunk anymore.” “I wear Red to be the best athlete I can be.” “I wear Red to do the best in school.” Take their pictures with these messages. If you know how to make the photo black and white with just the red object in color, this is a great technique to emphasize the red. Post these pictures throughout your school and/or community. You can also add them to a blog, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.- Be Red Balloons: Purchase giant white helium balloons at Party City or similar store. With a red Sharpie marker, write BE RED… in large letters so it can be seen from all angles. Have these balloons in different areas of the school or during a community event with several red Sharpies available so people can write their Be Red sentence on the balloon. The goal is to fill each balloon with as many sentences as possible, so by the end, they almost look totally red.
- Be Red Photo Booth: Paint several large frames red. Gather a variety of red props (hats, sunglasses, beads, shoes, etc.). Use small whiteboards and red dry erase markers for participants to finish the sentence “I wear Red because…” Take their picture holding their sign, wearing red, framed by a red frame.
Public Awareness: See if government agencies, businesses, churches, schools, etc. would allow you to post Be Red photos around their buildings in common areas or high traffic areas. Some good places are City Hall, local restaurants, playing fields and grocery stores. Get your local newspaper or other media outlet to publicize the campaign, and ask community members to participate.
There are several fun and unique ways to share the Be Red message in your community! What are some ideas you have for promoting Red Ribbon Week throughout Georgia?