Use Red Ribbon Week to Mobilize Prevention
Red Ribbon Week is a great opportunity to get students, staff and families talking about healthy choices. But prevention shouldn't begin and end with one week.
Use Red Ribbon Week as your starting point for building a school environment where prevention is part of what you do every day.
Prevention is more than telling students not to use substances. It means creating an environment where students feel connected, supported and equipped with the skills they need to make healthy choices.
Use this week to take a closer look at what your school is already doing—and identify opportunities to strengthen prevention throughout the year.
1. Look at your policies
Red Ribbon Week is a great time to review your current policies and ask whether they support prevention.
Consider:
- Do our substance use policies clearly explain expectations and consequences?
- Are our policies focused only on punishment, or do they also provide opportunities for support and education?
- Do students and families understand our policies?
- Are our policies applied consistently?
- Do we have a clear process for responding when a student may be using substances?
- Do we connect students and families with appropriate resources when concerns arise?
- When was the last time we reviewed and updated our policies?
The goal: Make sure your policies are part of a larger prevention strategy—not just a response after something happens.
2. Build connection and belonging
Connection is prevention.
Students who feel connected to their school, peers and trusted adults are more likely to have protective factors that support healthy decision-making.
Ask:
- Does every student have a trusted adult at school?
- How do we help new students feel connected?
- What opportunities do students have to participate in activities and clubs?
- How do we identify students who may be becoming disconnected?
- Are we creating opportunities for students to build positive relationships with adults?
Try this:
Use Red Ribbon Week to launch a “Every Student, Every Day” connection effort.
Challenge staff to intentionally connect with students who may need an extra check-in—not just during Red Ribbon Week, but throughout the school year.
3. Strengthen prevention education
One presentation is not a prevention program.
A guest speaker can be a valuable part of Red Ribbon Week, but students need consistent messages and opportunities to build skills throughout the year.
Look at what students are learning about:
- Decision-making
- Coping with stress
- Managing emotions
- Peer pressure
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Healthy relationships
- Substance use
- Vaping and nicotine
- Alcohol and other drugs
- Social media and online influences
- Asking for help
Ask:
Are we giving students the skills they need to make healthy decisions—or simply telling them what not to do?
4. Talk with families
Families are one of the strongest prevention partners a school has.
Use Red Ribbon Week as an opportunity to move beyond sending home a flyer.
Consider:
- Hosting a parent education event
- Sharing conversation starters
- Providing information about current substance use trends
- Helping parents recognize warning signs
- Sharing resources for starting conversations about alcohol, vaping and other substances
- Including prevention information in newsletters and school communications
- Connecting families with local prevention and behavioral health resources
Make the message ongoing.
Give families simple ways to talk with their children throughout the year—not just during Red Ribbon Week.
5. Look at your school environment
Prevention happens in the spaces students spend their time.
Take a walk through your school and ask:
What does our environment communicate to students?
Look at:
- Hallways
- Classrooms
- Restrooms
- Athletic spaces
- Cafeterias
- School events
- Online spaces
- Student activities
Are prevention messages visible?
Are positive choices celebrated?
Do students know where to go if they need help?
Do adults know what to do when they notice a concern?
6. Make sure staff know what to look for
Every adult in a school can play a role in prevention.
Staff should know:
- What warning signs to watch for
- How to approach a student they are concerned about
- Who to contact when they have a concern
- What school policies require
- Where students and families can find help
- How to respond without shame or judgment
Consider a staff refresher during Red Ribbon Week.
Then make prevention part of ongoing staff training—not a once-a-year conversation.
7. Strengthen your support system
Prevention and early intervention work together.
Ask:
- Do students know who they can talk to?
- Do staff know how to connect students with support?
- Do we have relationships with local behavioral health providers?
- Do we have a clear referral process?
- Do we know what resources are available in our community?
- Are students able to access support before a problem becomes a crisis?
Don't wait for a student to be in crisis before connecting them with help.