Keeping it social at UPEI
The University of Prince Edward Island has partnered with the UPEI Student Union and PEI Liquor Control Commission on a responsible alcohol consumption campaign called “Keep it Social.”
“We’re excited to launch this highly-visual and provocative campaign at UPEI, to build awareness and to start a dialogue about high-risk alcohol consumption and the associated harms,” said Haley Doherty, UPEI Residence Life Coordinator. “We are grateful to the PEI Liquor Control Commission for their support.”
“The UPEI Student Union is committed to help promote long-term social and behavioural change when it comes to alcohol consumption,” said Nathan Hood, UPEISU Vice-President, Student Activities. “We understand that students will drink, but we want everyone to identify and practice supportive behaviours.”
A partnership that originated between the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission and Nova Scotia universities, “Keep it Social” is a branded, student-led, social responsibility initiative that is now being adopted by UPEI in partnership with the PEILCC. It is part of a long-term, collaborative strategy aimed at promoting responsible consumption and harm reduction among university and college students. Preliminary discussions are underway to expand it to post-secondary institutions in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The “social vs. sloppy” on-campus advertising that appears on items like posters, table tent cards, mirror clings, digital screens, banners, and on social media demonstrates normalized versus at-risk behavior in relevant scenarios relatable to students. In one poster, the creative compares how dancing or “busting a move” is social, while “busting a window” is messy. Another shows how “trusting the hype” is sloppy, while “trusting your gut” is social.
Keepitsocial.ca provides broader information around responsible use and behaviour and the web address appears on each of the printed and digital products used in the on-campus advertising campaign. The ad products have been placed in the UPEI residences, at the campus pub, The Wave, and throughout the W.A. Murphy Student Centre.
