The primary objective of the "Connection is Prevention" campaign is to shift substance use prevention in Greater New Bedford from fear-based, negative messaging to a positive, community-centered approach that promotes connection as prevention. The campaign seeks to increase awareness among families and youth that everyday moments of connection, such as family dinners, movie nights, game nights, unplugging from technology, and community events, build the trust, resilience, and open communication that serve as protective factors against youth substance misuse.
A secondary objective is to reach and engage primary audiences (parents, caregivers, and youth) with authentic, relatable messaging that resonates with their lived experiences. To ensure this, we conducted a youth focus group to understand how connection with a trusted adult makes youth feel and what activities they genuinely enjoy sharing. Their insights directly informed the campaign's creative, ensuring the message is credible and impactful.
The campaign also aims to normalize healthy, substance-free connections across the broader New Bedford community, fostering a shared sense of pride and collective responsibility for youth well-being. Through a multi-platform strategy, including outdoor bus ads, interior transit placements, flyers, social media, and a dedicated landing page, the campaign delivers consistent, bold, and inclusive visuals that tell a unified story of "Prevention Through Connection."
Ultimately, the objective is to demonstrate that prevention does not require lectures or fear. It looks like laughter, listening, and love, and by empowering families to embrace connection, we build a healthier, more resilient community for all.
Our approach was grounded in community voice and evidence-based prevention science. We began by conducting a youth focus group to understand what connection with a trusted adult truly meant to local teens. This session confirmed that youth with trusted adults are more likely to reach out with problems and provided insight into activities they genuinely enjoy, such as dinner conversations, movie nights, game nights, and time outdoors. This research ensured our campaign would resonate authentically rather than feel like adults prescribing solutions to youth.
The campaign's creative execution centered on "Prevention Through Connection." We developed relatable storytelling scenes, including playing at the park and singing and dancing together, each depicting everyday moments of connection through bold, bright, and inclusive visuals. Consistent colors, fonts, and messaging tied every piece together, telling the same story across all platforms.
One challenge was shifting perception away from fear-based stigma toward positive messaging. We overcame this by grounding our creative in youth voice and public health data, demonstrating that connection is a proven protective factor. Our core message, "Connection and communication are powerful forms of prevention," was woven throughout, supported by themes that shared time builds trust, resilience, and lower risk of substance misuse.
Language was central to our strategy. Recognizing New Bedford's diversity, we translated all flyers into Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, and K'iche'. This ensured families could engage in their most comfortable language, breaking down barriers and fostering genuine connection.
We partnered with our local bus company to place ads on buses and inside transit vehicles, reaching families during daily routines. Flyers at community hubs and social media amplified our reach. Our landing page provided resources and reinforced that prevention looks like laughter, listening, and love. Unique QR codes on ads and flyers let us monitor engagement and identify which platforms were most effective.
Additionally, reaching a transient, diverse audience required careful consideration. Bus riders represent a broad cross-section of the community, and we needed visuals and messaging that felt inclusive and welcoming to all. We intentionally featured diverse families and youth in our creative, kept language simple and warm, and distributed materials strategically, carefully tracking where flyers were placed to ensure equitable reach across neighborhoods.
What sets "Prevention Through Connection" apart is its radical commitment to hope and inclusion. While most prevention campaigns focus on risks and consequences, we chose to celebrate the power of everyday love and presence. By amplifying what families are already doing right (sharing meals, laughing together, simply being present) and ensuring our message reached every corner of our diverse community, we normalized healthy connection as the foundation of prevention. Our work proves that prevention doesn't require lectures; it requires community, and that is a message worth celebrating.
While the campaign is ongoing, we have established a comprehensive evaluation framework to measure success. We are tracking engagement via unique QR codes on bus ads and flyers, monitoring landing page traffic, and analyzing social media metrics.
To deepen community impact, we created an ongoing survey assessing ad recall, message comprehension, and sentiment across New Bedford. It captures where residents saw the ads, whether they understand that connection prevents substance misuse, what activities families enjoy, and if they want additional resources.
Initial indicators are promising. QR scans and website visits confirm active engagement, while strategically placed translated flyers ensure we reach Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, and K'iche' speakers.
We consider our efforts a success because we have shifted the conversation from fear-based warnings to empowering, hopeful messaging rooted in authentic youth voice. Our multi-platform approach makes prevention visible and accessible, and our evaluation tools will provide crucial data to refine future efforts. Even at this stage, the campaign has normalized connection as prevention and sparked community conversation about how everyday moments can reduce youth substance use.