YIA Projects

Youth In Action projects are based on recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences, "Reducing Underage Drinking"”" report. When used all together, YIA projects can successfully reduce the access of alcohol in your community and create lasting change!

A young looking 21-year-old volunteer attempts to purchase alcohol without an ID. No actual purchase is made. It is merely a survey to see if the clerk would have sold alcohol to a presumed minor without ID. Communities are notified about stores that are complying with the law.

With the help of the local police department, young people act as underage buyers of alcohol. With police, they go into stores and attempt to purchase alcohol. If the clerks do not ask for ID and make the sale, the police may cite or arrest the store clerk.

With law enforcement present to ensure safety, a young person (or group of young people) approaches adults outside a retail store that sells alcohol and asks if the adult would be willing to purchase alcohol for them because they are too young to legally buy. Those that answer "yes" receive a card outlining the law and the penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor. Those that answer "no" are handed a card thanking them for serving their community by refusing to provide alcohol to a minor.

YIA teams meet with local retailers that sell alcohol and ask permission to place warning stickers on the packaging of alcohol products (primarily beer). The stickers are very visible and warn of the consequences of purchasing alcohol for people under the age of 21. This project is designed to remind adults that they can be arrested for purchasing alcohol for minors.

YIA teams set up meetings with their local police departments to make presentations at shift change meetings, known as Roll Call. Two or three YIA members go to the police station with an adult leader to speak to the officers to encourage them to enforce the Zero Tolerance Laws. Many YIA teams have printed cards or notepads to hand out outlining the laws and declaring their support for it.

YIA teams publicly honor local law enforcement officials who are working to prevent underage drinking and impaired driving. This can be done at a formal banquet, media event or at the police station. Some YIA teams have even had food brought to the stations or out to a location where police officers are working on the job. Either way, this is a unique opportunity for teens to thank police officers for doing their job.

Media advocacy is used to further YIA's mission and enhance the environmental strategies. Whenever a team works on a YIA project, they are encouraged to send out press releases, write letters to the Editor of their local newspaper, and invite media participation. The more the people of the community know about the results of for example, a Shoulder-Tap Survey, the more aware of underage drinking prevention they will be, and the more likely adults will be to change their attitudes. Community members want to know that the youth are safe and not at risk. Also, the media provides a great tool to show off all the positive things teens are doing in the community!

To increase access to training materials, MADD National has developed a Youth In Action Adult Coordinator Training DVD. The DVD details the goals of YIA, underage drinking statistics, underage drinking laws and YIA projects. The DVD training also includes the responsibilities and requirements of a YIA Adult Coordinator. YIA project resources and reporting forms are available as part of the DVD. There is an interactive online quiz at the end of the training to ensure that the Adult Coordinator has a basic understanding of the program. The goal of this tool is to provide the YIA Adult Coordinator with a strong base to develop YIA in their community.

To receive this adult coordinator training DVD, the prospective adult coordinator must read and sign the Youth Policy and Procedures Manual and must pass a MADD background check . Once the background check is on file, the DVD training can be sent out! If you are interested in the DVD training, please email the National YIA Coordinators at yia@madd.org .

The following YIA items are available to order online for MADD chapters and affiliates: sticker shock stickers, Yes and No Cards for Shoulder Tap surveys, pens, pencils, wristbands, Frisbees, mugs and more! If you are not a YIA group affiliated with a local MADD chapter, please email your requests to yia@madd.org. Once you contact MADD National Youth In Action Coordinators, pricing, ordering and shipping can be discussed!