This is Us                                                                                                                        

 This is US is the Summit County Social Norms Project, an innovative prevention program that aims to increase healthy behaviors among Summit Middle School and Summit High School students. The project involves a community-wide, multi-media marketing campaign that broadcasts positive majority statistics as a way to strengthen the healthy norms of our youth. The social norms approach is a research-based practice that has produced remarkable results in reducing alcohol and tobacco use on college campuses, in communities, targeting high school age children, and statewide. Research shows that if students perceive an unhealthy behavior, like underage drinking, to be typical or the norm, they tend to alter their behaviors to fit the norm, even if it isn’t reality. Most Summit County students are making healthy choices, but they do not know that they are “most students” or the majority. By correcting misperceptions through a positive and intensive media campaign, utilizing Summit Middle School and Summit High School student data gathered from an anonymous online survey, This is US will in turn increase healthy behaviors.

Find great information & pictures on Facebook of This Is Us

Want to see some media examples? (Go on, Check them out…)

And…the Good News! The This is US campaign started at Summit High School in 2002 and at Summit Middle School in 2004, and we have seen some great movement in the right direction. Survey results show statistically significant decreases in both perception of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use, and self reported use. Students at both schools participate in the Hobart Williams and Smith Social Norms Alcohol and Other Drug Online Survey annually.If you would like more information about our This is US campaign, please contact Liliana Meza at 970-668-2077 extension: 310, or via email at Liliana@summitpreventionalliance.org

Statistics:

Middle School- Information provided by 521 Summit Middle School students who took the November 2010 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. This is US is a program of Summit Prevention Alliance. Copyright 2011

High School- Information provided by 608 Summit High School students who took the November 2010 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. This is US is a program of Summit Prevention Alliance. Copyright 2011