Community-based Prevention Approaches

Reducing high-risk and illegal drinking by youth is not the job of campus officials alone. Campus-and-Community Coalitions consisting of campus representatives, merchants, law enforcement, and members of community agencies can be successful in addressing issues of alcohol availability both on- and off-campus. Continuously working to cultivate the membership of the coalition increases its strength and reach within the community.

Coalitions can work to launch a comprehensive prevention program within communities that includes mass media programming, media advocacy, counter-advertising, educational programs, parents’ education, and community organizing. Such coalitions can work to develop local planning and zoning ordinances to manage retail availability, prohibit alcohol sponsorship of public events, control alcohol advertising, and encourage community support of alcohol-free activities for youth.