WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY’S ABOVE THE INFLUENCE CAMPAIGN DEMONSTRATES SUCCESS IN ITS EFFIE AWARD WIN

(From the May 24, 2012 Press Release)

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign’s “Above the Influence,” run by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) in collaboration with The Partnership at Drugfree.org (Partnership), has been selected as a winner of a 2012 Effie award in the Sustained Success category.  The campaign was honored with the Silver Effie Award.

“Above the Influence has played a critical role in our country’s substance use prevention efforts, and more importantly, it works,” said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.  “Without the campaign’s credible anti-drug voice, our Nation’s youth would be exposed to a steady stream of messaging that normalizes drug use and reduces the perceived risks of use.”  Most recently, the campaign reached a major milestone on the “Above the Influence” Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AbovetheInfluence), acquiring more than one million “likes” – a significant achievement that far outweighs the online presence of any other national youth behavior change campaign.

“The Above the Influence campaign has been an outstanding example of public/private partnership, and recent studies have shown it to be effective in large part because it’s not only teen targeted, but teen inspired,” said Caryn Pace, Deputy Director of Creative Development at The Partnership at Drugfree.org. “Working to change attitudes about drug use, repositioning it as a negative influence and empowering teens to stay true to themselves is what this campaign has strived to accomplish.”

For the full version of the PRESS RELEASE, click here.

For more information about how you can use Above the Influence in your local community, click here. Or contact the North Carolina Centers for Prevention Resources at ECPR@coastalhorizons.org.