Youth In Action

Youth in Action (YIA) is a MADD program designed to reduce underage drinking by targeting social and retail availability of alcohol for youth under the age of 21. By partnering youth with law enforcement, targeting adults in the communities, and focusing on alcohol sales to minors, Youth In Action aims to change the perceptions of underage drinking of individuals in the community.

YIA is not a youth led program, nor a youth leadership opportunity, but a program that engages youth as agents of furthering the Mission of MADD. Youth leadership may be a byproduct of the program, but should not be used as a recruitment or promotion hook for teens. YIA is structured with specific projects to accomplish specific goals. Unless the YIA team is regularly implementing the 6 core projects, YIA groups are not encouraged to begin other projects.

Youth In Action is a prevention program targeted at the community in which you live. YIA projects focus on three areas: social, alcohol retailers, and law enforcement. All of these components make up the environmental prevention strategy of YIA. The immediate goal of YIA’s prevention strategy is to reduce the access of alcohol for those under the age of 21.

The long term goal of Youth In Action is to change perceptions (knowledge, attitude and beliefs) of underage drinking among the adults in the community, law enforcement, alcohol retailers and young adults.

Mission Statement: To reduce the social and retail availability of alcohol to minors and support enforcement of underage drinking laws.

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YIA Projects

Youth In Action projects are based on recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences, "Reducing Underage Drinking"”" report. When used all together, YIA projects can successfully reduce the access of alcohol in your community and create lasting change!

Alcohol Purchase Surveys

A young looking 21-year-old volunteer attempts to purchase alcohol without an ID. No actual purchase is made. It is merely a survey to see if the clerk would have sold alcohol to a presumed minor without ID. Communities are notified about stores that are complying with the law.

Compliance Checks

With the help of the local police department, young people act as underage buyers of alcohol. With police, they go into stores and attempt to purchase alcohol. If the clerks do not ask for ID and make the sale, the police may cite or arrest the store clerk.

Shoulder-Tap Surveys

With law enforcement present to ensure safety, a young person (or group of young people) approaches adults outside a retail store that sells alcohol and asks if the adult would be willing to purchase alcohol for them because they are too young to legally buy. Those that answer "yes" receive a card outlining the law and the penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor. Those that answer "no" are handed a card thanking them for serving their community by refusing to provide alcohol to a minor.

Sticker Shock

YIA teams meet with local retailers that sell alcohol and ask permission to place warning stickers on the packaging of alcohol products (primarily beer). The stickers are very visible and warn of the consequences of purchasing alcohol for people under the age of 21. This project is designed to remind adults that they can be arrested for purchasing alcohol for minors.

Roll Call Briefings

YIA teams set up meetings with their local police departments to make presentations at shift change meetings, known as Roll Call. Two or three YIA members go to the police station with an adult leader to speak to the officers to encourage them to enforce the Zero Tolerance Laws. Many YIA teams have printed cards or notepads to hand out outlining the laws and declaring their support for it.

Law Enforcement Special Recognition Program

YIA teams publicly honor local law enforcement officials who are working to prevent underage drinking and impaired driving. This can be done at a formal banquet, media event or at the police station. Some YIA teams have even had food brought to the stations or out to a location where police officers are working on the job. Either way, this is a unique opportunity for teens to thank police officers for doing their job.

Media Advocacy

Media advocacy is used to further YIA's mission and enhance the environmental strategies. Whenever a team works on a YIA project, they are encouraged to send out press releases, write letters to the Editor of their local newspaper, and invite media participation. The more the people of the community know about the results of for example, a Shoulder-Tap Survey, the more aware of underage drinking prevention they will be, and the more likely adults will be to change their attitudes. Community members want to know that the youth are safe and not at risk. Also, the media provides a great tool to show off all the positive things teens are doing in the community!