Drug Abuse Campaign Essay

By: Orion Green, Khanecia Baugh, and Kimberly Whyte

Irresponsible use of drugs by teenagers as become the foremost issue in our parish, which is
why the “Youths Fight Against Drug Use” committee is to host a campaign with hopes of
demoralizing this situation. Being a member of this committee and the one elected with the
responsibility of foreseeing this project, my aim is to bring forth the best possible campaign
strategy with the recourses we have. In an attempt to make this campaign successful, a slogan
and its justification, explanations of two appropriate appeals, along with examples and
justifications of strategies based on these appeals will be encapsulated.
 
“Don’t do pot, your brains will rot” a simple yet efficient attention grabber, it’s not only
catchy but it is meaningful and thus effective. This statement implies that the continuous use
of drugs will deteriorate your brain. Speaking from experience teenagers do care about their
future and a big part of one’s future is the proper use of their brain. Upon seeing this slogan
teenagers will recognize the meaning and understand the risks of their action, it will also
remind them how taboo drug use is.
 
Teenagers are known to have a short attention span, this why Posters and a dramatic
presentation will be ideal in seeking the audience from that diaspora. Posters will grab the
attention of teenagers and make a strong impression of what this committee is about; fighting
against drug use amongst teens. A dramatic presentation will be used so that it will allow
teenagers to participate, and observe in a controlled, non-threatening environment. It helps to
stimulate the imagination and creativity, develop a better understanding of human behaviour
and also empathize with situations that might seem distant. It develops critical thinking and
allows teenagers to make better and more conscious decisions as well as encourages them to
use their voices.
 
Furthermore, the strategies that will be used to employ these appeals to teens are by means of
social media and through their school system. Social media is a big part of teenagers’ lives, a
survey conducted by Pew Research centre found that 97% use social media platforms. Using
social media platforms to share posters it will help us to reach out to a large audience, have
direct connections with said audience and drive traffic to our social media platform so that
teens can interact with our posts. However, dramatic presentations can be done at different
schools in the parish so that every student as the opportunity of obtaining the information
being presented.
 
Drug use is a widespread problem that cannot be put to a complete stop by just a single
campaign but it’s my hope that with the use of our slogan, and two strategic appeals, that this
campaign will at least serve in reducing the use of drugs by teenagers in our parish and not
only that but to show others who have not started its use to continue abstaining. By taking
small actions, optimistically, this committee will be able to help solve this issue.