Student Group Aims to Prevent Underage Drinking With Sticker Attack

Sticker Attack is a DMYFS/EDGE project where youth raise public awareness about the minimum drinking age and the dangers of underage drinking by placing stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers and any other alcohol products at local liquor stores.

The goal of this project is to educate adults and older peers (those who are 21 or over) about the dangers of underage drinking as well as the laws about underage drinking and ultimately discourage them from providing alcohol to minors. The project was developed by area teens as part of the DMYFS Teen Power Conference in the summer of 2011.

The Teen Power Conference and the Sticker Attack project is funded by the Durham Middlefield Local Wellness Council with leadership by the Strong and CRHS Edge Group Advisors: Jane Moen, DMYFS; Kirsten Beers, Strong School; and Becca Anderson, CRHS.

How does Sticker Attack work?

EDGE Leaders will contact the liquor stores in the community via phone calls or letters and follow up with store contacts by phone or in person to arrange a time to visit the store to sticker the products with a group of EDGE student members and an adult advisor.

EDGE Advisors will accompany the group of students and supervise all time spent in the local liquor store(s). EDGE members will not cover the product name, Surgeon General’s warning, or barcodes. If storeowners are not comfortable with placing stickers on products, EDGE members will ask to put the stickers on paper bags used for customers, or to put posters in the store coolers, windows or by the register.

Sticker Attack Results

MADD has a similar program and groups that have participated report finding greater recognition among the community-at-large about providing alcohol to minors, greater collaboration between youth, retailers, parents, law enforcement, and prevention professionals and high profile, positive media coverage. Sticker shock is also known to strengthen the deterrent effect of the law against providing alcohol to minors.