Risk taking behaviour adolescents Campaign 2008 / 2009

1. Risk taking behaviour adolescentsCampaign 2008 / 2009

2. Content of presentation - 25 years prevention of injury in the home and leisure environment - From knowledge to communication, what works? - How to involve the target group? - Target of the campaign: risk taking among youth. - Questions and discussion

3. The changing communication environment - From top-down communication to “on demand”, tailor-made work. - No general information. Information should be adapted to the target group. - Not relevant information should be avoided. - Avoid creating distance. Make it personal and involve people in the target group. Communication = translating the content of knowledge to a form that is suitable for the target group.

4. Injury / Risk information Consciousness Experience / Wishes of the target group Basic information Safety solutions Foundation Prevention knowledge / Good practice Measures / Behaviour The twist Good preparation with solid arguments is essential Communication is …. Data and Knowledge and Intuition

5. Communication on safety:what works? • Creating engagement • Prevent dependency • Combine knowledge on injury with the experience of the target group • Form, content and environment should match • Use experience and intuition. • The target of a campaign: Risk taking among youth.

6. Injury among people13 to 24 years old • 390 deaths • Average of 220,000 people treated at Emergency Department • 17.000 hospitalizations every year. • * 600 young people a day receive hospital treatment due to • accident or violence-related injury. • * In 14 % of the cases there is alcohol involved.

7. Target group • Majority: males aged between 15 and 18 • Secondary School levels • Avoid intellectualisation. Use “eye to eye” communication • “Coolness” is an important factor in risk taking behaviour • “Coolness” as a challenge but also a possibility in the communication • Indifference – young people are not interested in injury prevention.

8. Assignment • - Develop a creative concept adapted to young people to raise their awareness in the risk involved in often simple day-to-day situations. • Goals: • Raise awareness • Positive attitude towards the subject • Good foundation for behavioural change

9. Target group researchon young people • - What do they know about risks and consequences? • What do young people see as risks (interpretations and associations)? • Do they consider possible risks? • Who or what influence their behaviour in relation to risk taking? • • Online research on 450 young people • • Qualitative pilot on 9 Secondary Schools • • Quantitative measurement

10. Research fragments To be continued.

11. Results of the target groupresearch “Coolness” is an important factor in risk taking. - “Coolness” as a challenge but also a possibility in the communication. The perceived chance of having an accident is very small - We are invincible! Normal campaign information does not work. - “Don’t tell me what to do” - attitude is characteristic of this age group. Traditional mass media campaigns do not meet the target. - The messages do not reach them.

12. From research to communication • - Do not point out the risks. • Let them discover the huge consequences of small accidents themselves. • Do not teach them to avoid risk but to foresee it. • Small, simple accidents have huge consequences.

13. Provocative communication (1) • Obstacles • Risk taking behaviour is difficult to communicate. • Be alert in everything you do. • Undesired message. Risk taking is cool! • How do you communicate over that you can do something about it? • How do you prepare someone for something they see as pure coincidence?

14. Provocative communication (2) • Chances • Neutralise the feeling that it is just pure coincidence. • It is about: wrong time, wrong place, but most of all WRONG ACTION.

15. Proposal Let them discover the risks themselves. Better yet: Do not show them the risks, but let them discover the unexpected serious consequences of small accidents. Small accidents, huge consequences.

16. Insights (1) - You cannot foresee all the consequences at the moment you take action. - How come others (role models) can do this? - Extreme athletes, dangerous professions… it seems as if they can do it without effort! - They have experience therefore they can assess the consequences of risk taking in a split second. - They have experienced the situation hundreds of times, directly or indirectly. The level of difficulty is based on personal experience. We can only expect the expected.

17. Insights (2) - Can we convince the target group that it is cool to wait a split second before taking action? - We can train them to rely on their gut feeling.

18. Manifesto: Life can change in a split second Lifecan change in a second. Because of their profession or hobby some people are trained to assess risk level of their actions in a split second. They learn to have control on their actions. Your life can also change in a split second.Not paying attention for just a second can have huge consequences. Reduce the risks.Take a split second before taking a risk.

19. Creative concept

20. Split the risk - TV • -Mini TV Format with 3 items in every episode: • Somebody who performs an extreme sport, with the necessary reflexes and skills • Somebody with a job requiring reflexes and skill • Somebody who was not sharp enough at a certain moment • The programme features an interview and a film showing them in action, in situations requiring reflexes and skill. • The image freezes before the critical moment and the interview scans the possible consequences of this action as perceived by the interviewed. • Slow motion is applied to the split second when the risks are being evaluated.

24. Summary TV Format = serious, but familiar to the target group. We take them seriously. Reduce the risks. Take a split second before you take a risk.