Are members of the educational system (public and private), the business sector, youth serving agencies, government, and law enforcement agencies in your state, county, or city working together to develop and enforce policies related to underage alcohol use?

Work collaboratively with other groups to promote policy changes. Communities, and the agencies within them, are in a powerful position to be able to help young people develop safe and healthy behaviors by creating a safer and healthier environment—one consistent with the warnings against alcohol concerned adults convey.

An environmental prevention model includes the following elements that local agencies can use to bring about long lasting change:

• Strategic use of data can help identify the problem, develop a strategy, and plan and monitor progress.
• Community organizing ensures that community stakeholders are identified and involved, and helps to gain public support and change community norms.
• Policy advocacy includes making changes in policies, either mandated (as in laws or regulations) or voluntary (via business or social policies or procedures).
• Media advocacy involves strategic use of the media to gain public and policymaker support for policy or norms change.
• Enforcement of each of these elements ensures that the changes made are sustained over time.

Using an environmental change approach does not absolve youth of their actions; however, they are not the only ones responsible for binge drinking problems. Youth generally do not produce, promote, distribute, or sell alcohol--adults and adult businesses do. Youth do not set alcohol prices, taxes, advertising and promotion policies, nor establish laws and regulations--adult voters and businesses do. It is the responsibility of the community to work collaboratively to develop policies to stop underage alcohol use.

Work with youth in media advocacy campaigns. Messages regarding alcohol use in the media and elsewhere permeate the community, and often send the message to youth that drinking is the norm. Local Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) agencies can target these messages by working with youth to implement media advocacy campaigns to send out the message to youth that drinking is not the social norm in the community.

The following are areas that can be targeted during media advocacy campaigns:

• Prohibit outdoor advertising and billboards in areas where children are present (including residential zones and within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and other child-oriented facilities).
• Restrict alcohol advertising to the interior of commercial alcohol outlets and prohibit advertising inside the store that is visible from the outside.
• Require signs prominently posted in commercial establishments regarding minimum age for alcohol purchase.
• Require signs prominently posted in public parks/ facilities stating that it is illegal to consume alcoholic beverages.
• Prohibit the use of cartoon characters and other child-oriented images and slogans in alcohol advertising.
• Prohibit alcohol advertising by local retailers on television or radio programs with underage audiences exceeding 25 percent of the total audience population.
• Place limitations on the percentage of store window space devoted to advertising.
• Prohibit distribution or sale of any alcohol industry promotional materials to minors (e.g., as prizes at local fairs).
• Restrict alcohol industry sponsorship of any event sponsored or co-sponsored by local government, any youth event (e.g., youth athletic events), or any event located on public property.