Listen First Global Prevention Campaign
The Dianova International network joins the global “Listen First” campaign to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26 June
For more than ten years, the Dianova International network has implemented or joined health promotion and addiction prevention initiatives to raise awareness of the risks associated with addictive behaviours – this is the reason why Dianova’s member organizations decided to disseminate the “Listen First” campaign in their respective countries.
The global “Listen First” campaign was initially launched in New York in April 2016 at a special event during the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on the world drug problem, and it will continue through at least 2017. The campaign aims to promote science-based initiatives to prevent addiction, while insisting on a very simple concept: at the core of these initiatives lies something we all know how to do, but perhaps spend too little time doing: listening.
Until the end of June, we will disseminate various prevention messages on our site and the social media and the campaign will be launched in most of the countries where Dianova’s ordinary and associate member organizations operate: Canada, Chile, Uruguay, Nicaragua, USA, Spain, Italia, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, Kenya, Pakistan, and India.
Strategy
The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about listening to children and young people as the first step to help them grow up healthy and safe. The campaign aims to promote active listening while highlighting how to recognize and prevent high-risk behaviours and substance use. Through various images accompanied by messages, the target public is invited to follow a series of recommendations on prevention practices, as well as to share these messages with third parties through their own website, social media or by email, facilitating access to graphic materials and related contents.
Target Audience
The campaign is directed to four types of audiences with specific messages:
- Policy makers. on average, up to 30 times the amount of funds invested in prevention strategies can be saved in future health and social care costs.
- Parents and families. Parents have an essential influence in helping their children grow up happy and learn how to manage difficult life situations.
- Teachers. Teachers can have a positive influence on children and young people and help them become more resilient when young adults
- Health and prevention professionals. Prevention personnel who implement activities based on scientific evidence result in less high-risk behaviours.
Creative Concept
The campaign’s key message is “Listen to children and young people with empathy and care can help prevent risk behaviours and drug use”.
Each member organization of the Dianova Network selects one or more of the target audiences mentioned above: policy makers, parents, teachers, and health professionals. Once the target has been selected, each member organization disseminates a message, a story or a situation that will be reflected in the photo or image chosen.