May 14, 2010

Annual Union County School Task Force Conference

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Clark, NJ

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Using Social Norms in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention

The basis of Social Norms Approach regarding alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use prevention is communication about true peer norms—what the majority of students actually think and do—on the basis of credible data drawn from the target population (their school or community). As students adhere to a more accurately perceived norm that is healthier and lower risk than originally perceived, the actual healthy norm becomes even stronger as the process of misperception leading to the problem behavior is reversed. More youth become more likely to participate in the healthy norms. This workshop presents the patterns of ATOD use misperceptions commonly found in secondary schools, demonstrates how the social norms approach has been applied to ATOD prevention with practical examples in a variety of school contexts, and provides evidence of the positive impact of employing this approach.

Using Social Norms in Bullying Prevention

The basis of Social Norms Approach regarding the prevention of bullying and violence in schools and adolescent peer groups is communicating true peer norms—what the majority of students actually do and what the majority think is the right way to treat others—based on credible data drawn from the school or community. As students adhere to a more accurately perceived norm that is kinder and more considerate of peers than originally perceived, the actual positive norm becomes even stronger as the process of misperception supporting the problem behavior is reversed. Youth become less likely to get involved in bullying and less likely to remain as bystanders accepting this behavior in others. This workshop presents the patterns of bullying misperceptions commonly found in secondary schools, demonstrates how the social norms approach has been applied to bullying prevention with practical examples in a variety of school contexts, and provides evidence of the positive impact of employing this approach in reducing bullying.