Transcript Concept for new TV format

Pompidou Group Conference
“Families, lifestyles and drugs - reaching families in prevention”
Porto, Portugal, 19-20 November 2007
Concept for new TV format:
The upcoming Italian Information Campaign: parents and drugs
Maurizio Coletti
• Every year (since 1994) the Italian
government has launched a national,
mass media Information Campaign about
drugs
• Past campaigns have dealt with important
aspects of drug abuse and supplied
various messages. In general they were all
directed at youths and adolescents
• Some of them concentrated on providing
dissuasive messages
• Others stressed the risks connected to specific
behaviours and the use of substances,
• Others suggested more responsible behaviour
for the use of substances in special contexts like
discotheques and rave parties.
• Some campaigns developed through advertising
on television
• Others were accompanied by information
designed to reach young people directly in their
social environment
• New media campaign for 2008: addressed to
adults, particularly to parents
• Decision: after the detailed study of the results of
media campaign carried out by NIDA, showing
how ineffective recent US Government
campaigns had been at reaching and dissuading
the main target groups of young people and
children*
• Same study has been proven that messages
reach and are retained by adults*
* Evaluation of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign: 2004 Report of
Findings
Contractor’s National Evaluation Did Not
Find That the Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign Was Effective in Reducing
Youth Drug Use
• 2006 GAO - Report to theSubcommittee on
Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and
Urban Development, and Related Agencies, Committee
on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
• The main goal of next Italian campaign is to
suggest proper and useful behaviour to
those parents who have (or think they have)
children who use or abuse drugs
• Dealing with the subject of drugs with adolescent
children is often extremely complicated and
difficult.
• Often parents complain about the lack of
adequate information and detailed support.
• It is easy that their worry can quickly turn into
anxiety, disputes with wild accusations on all
sides, excessive guilt, conflict, and lack of
dialogue are produced
• In short, the operation turns out to be a total
failure
• It also happens that some parents
underestimate the situation and fail to
intervene
• In this case too, the result is negative
because the care-givers waive the
possibility of educational intervention that
would help to avoid greater risks if
correctly planned out and organised
• The important thing is to reinforce the
parents’ role and help them to understand
how useful it is to act in the correct
manner, making sure that they do not
minimise the situation, nor react with
unnecessary drama
• Additional feature of the campaign will be
its local, regional focus
• Information about free-phone telephone
numbers will be provided for parents to
call
Main goals for phone operators:
1. Pay attention to the worries expressed
by the parents;
2. Offer general information on the subjects
of adolescents and drugs;
3. Assess the situation presented and, if
need be, indicate local support and
treatment centres
1. Welcoming parents directly main goals :
2. Reassure the parents
3. Support the parents
4. Propose some other further step:
involving the adolescent (if possible),
design a treatment
A new challenge for treatment
centers
• Develop programmes, strategies or
techniques for helping parents in the case
of relatively light drug use
• Involve parents in motivating to treatment
their children
• Involve parents in the same treatment
Thank you
Maurizio Coletti
mcolettisolidarietasociale.gov.it