State Unveils new Underage Drinking Prevention Effort

Chicago – Governor Pat Quinn announced a new underage drinking awareness program entitled "YOUR ACTIONS MATTER!"  The program, coordinated through the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC), was unveiled earlier today at a ceremony with the Lake County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force (LCUDPTF) at the Mundelein Police Department.

“This new effort promotes positive behavior and engages our children who are the future leaders of the state,” said Liquor Commission Executive Director, Gloria Materre.

The YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! program differs from past efforts as the ILCC and its partners solicited teenager involvement and asked them to create a logo and slogan for the new public awareness campaign.  Youth throughout the state submitted designs for the campaign; the winning design, YOUR ACTIONS MATTER!, was created by 15-year-old Ally Pennington from Fairfield Community High School in Wayne County and the Illinois Students Against Destructive Decisions (IL SADD) Student Advisory Board.  

Ally Pennington in response to learning she had won the statewide contest said, “While the Student Advisory Board and I are thrilled to win this honor, our hope is for the new campaign to help guide the decisions made by both adults and teens in a positive way.”

“We commend the IL SADD Student Advisory Board for providing Ally with solid support and needed guidance in helping her win the contest,” said SADD State Coordinator Robyn Block.  “Everyone involved in the project really put their heart into coming up with a message that hit home.”

“With this new educational program we hope to reach that small minority of adults who think it is acceptable to give alcohol to minors,” said ILCC Executive Director Gloria L. Materre. “Promoting societal norms is an effective strategy for changing behavior. By seeing these positive messaging materials in liquor establishments throughout the state, we hope everyone is reminded that it is not the norm to give alcohol to minors.” 
      
In fact, according to results from the latest Illinois Youth Survey, the vast majority of youth at all ages believe their parents and other adults think it is wrong for them to drink alcohol. “Alcohol is the #1 drug of choice with young people across the country,” said LCUDPTF Chairman Bruce Johnson. “We want our youth to be healthy and safe and to prevent the often tragic consequences resulting from underage drinking,”

In an effort to communicate the campaign’s message, retailers throughout the state will participate by displaying YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! or neck-tags, window decals, drink coasters, posters, and signs at numerous locations.  Prevention groups, statewide organizations, local law enforcement, and the hospitality industry will also take part in the program.

“We believe in a community-based approach to preventing underage access to alcohol,” said MillerCoors Responsibility Commerce Manager Diane Wagner.  “We are proud to work with our partners in Illinois to support this new activity and appreciate the support of our distributors in helping to spread this important message.”

See “Partners in Prevention” for a list of participating individuals and organizations in the YOUR ACTIONS MATTER! Campaign and other information about this public awareness program, at  www.YourActionsMatter.org.