Clubbing without Drugs
Abstract
Until 2005, the prevalence of drug use in the Lithuanian population was not well researched. 8.2% of Lithuanian residents used drugs at least once in their lifetime. Nightclubs were mentioned as one of the most popular places for drug use and distribution.
The goal of the project was to start recreational drug use prevention in youth entertainment places:
- to inform owners of youth entertainment places;
- to organize media campaigns targeted at young active people;
- to inform the representatives of media, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations;
- to improve cooperation between police and nightclubs and to achieve more effective solutions.
Clubbing without Drugs tried not to moralize but to communicate, discuss and motivate to solve problems together; relevant and popular communication channels were chosen: websites, colourful pictures and photos, short texts, information based on relevant facts.
Communication and cooperation between the institutions (Police Department, Drug Control Department, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, centres for addictive disorders) were improved. This will help to implement recreational drug use prevention in the future in Lithuanian cities. The feedback was very cautious, but positive.The international practice shows that long term efficiency of such prevention campaigns can only be noticed 25 years after its launch and development. However, the current campaign reached its short-term targets.
The main factors which led the project Clubbing without Drugs to success were: long preliminary work, project planning, studying best practice of foreign countries, and searching for experts all over Europe.
Intervention details
Adults, children/young people, visitors
owners of youth entertainment , the representatives of municipalities, police, non-governmental organizations
The main goal of the project was to start recreational drug use prevention in youth entertainment places. The project was started after the research of the prevalence of drug use in the general population carried out by Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. It showed that city dwellers in Lithuania use drugs more often than people from rural areas and smaller towns 6.1% of rural residents, 6.6% of people living in district centres, 7.9% of people living in other towns, and 12.6% of people living in three biggest cities of Lithuania (Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda) tried using drugs at least once in their lifetime. Nightclubs were mentioned as one of the most popular place of drug use and distribution. As recreational drug use problem is very complicated and involves not only governmental sector but also private sector (nightclubs) all the activities of the prevention.
No
Evaluation details
Media campaign
The international practice shows that long term efficiency of such prevention campaigns can only be noticed 25 years after its launch and development. However, the current campaign reached its short-term targets:
- positive messages in mass media as well as positive internet comments prove that the campaign was positively received and messages understood by the target audience and drug prevention specialists;
- big interest of mass media;
- the number of visitors to the website www.benarkotiku.lt was eight times higher after the campaign;
- internet banners reached more that 300 000 unique visitors and the TV material was viewed at least once by 51% of the target audience;
- head masters of schools contacted Drug Control Department under the Government of the Republic of Lithuania for more information on the campaign.
Last updated April 2016