The Illinois Liquor Control Commission has launched Talk It Up! a parental responsibility campaign to combat high rates of underage drinking in Illinois. Why involve parents? Because our research shows that contrary to popular opinion, kids do listen to their parents.
Parents who are involved in their children’s lives on a day-to-day basis, who talk with their kids about good decision-making, who give them the support to say no and provide fun alternatives to alcohol have remarkable success rates. And the sooner they start the conversation, the more effective they are.
Talk It Up! is aimed at parents of 8th grade students, and taps into the power of parents to make positive change. The campaign gives parents the education, resources and tools to get talking, and keep talking, with their kids. We are reaching out through a variety of channels—radio ads and TV spots, billboards and bus cards, social media community engagement, blog posts, a redesigned website and all kinds of other methods—to get the word out.
Bottom line: Parents know we have their back. Kids know their parents have their back. And together we are building a community that is changing the way we look—and talk about—underage drinking.