The challenge for those who have accepted the responsibility of coordinating Red Ribbon Week at their school site is how to host an awareness campaign that is meaningful. Since Red Ribbon Week is often coordinated by volunteers with little training in alcohol, tobacco, other drug or violence prevention, this challenge may seem particularly daunting.

We want to reassure those of you who may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. We created the Red Ribbon Coalition website to help you coordinate and host a Red Ribbon Week campaign that you can feel really good about.

Our position is that:

• Your Red Ribbon Week activities must be age appropriate.
• They should be based on strategies that are supported by research and should not include activities that research has shown to be less effective.
• You should do a few things well rather than a lot of activities that are superficial or done just for the sake of doing them (we call these "random acts of red.")

In this section, we begin with the "Six Primary Prevention Strategies" identified by the federal government as effective in preventing alcohol, tobacco and other drug use and violence. Next, we focus on the development of "Protective Factors" as an effective prevention strategy that fits very nicely with Red Ribbon. Finally, we will look at ways to include "Social Marketing," including "Social Norms Marketing," in your campaign.

These are just a few prevention strategies for your consideration. We believe that if you develop an understanding of and are able to apply them, you will be able to create a Red Ribbon Week campaign that is truly meaningful. If you already have a plan, these tools will help you evaluate your activities and make changes or improvements as needed. 

Be sure to:

• Evaluate each activity in advance. Identify your program’s strengths and weaknesses and make changes as needed.
• Identify activities that are less meaningful. If your agenda is too full you will know where to make the final cuts.

The Online Red Ribbon Training Workshop Begins Here