A new media campaign intends to bring awareness to teen substance abuse, and it all starts with a reminder ribbon.

            “We want to make Red Ribbon Week every week,” Barbara Belke, student assistance program coordinator, said. “Red Ribbon Week is October 22-26. The goal is to keep students educated on the short term and long term affects that substances can have on their mind and body.”

            Teachers and club sponsors will choose students who exhibit good qualities to participate in the Social Norms group. These students will meet to analyze trends they see in LZHS.

LZHS Social Norms groups and the Ela Coalition Against Youth Substance Abuse are coming together to analyze the trends seen by students and in the Illinois Department of Human Services 2012 Illinois Youth Survey, which students took in the spring of last year.

            The media campaign is designed to educate students on the risks of substance abuse and the repercussions students may face from using illegal substances, according to Belke.

            Students and faculty members will hang posters and banners throughout LZHS during the school year to promote the campaign to encourage other students to not participate in underage drinking or illegal drugs.

            “We are working closely with the Ela Coalition Against Youth Substance Abuse to not only spread the word in LZHS but also to the entire community,” Belke said.

             The Lake Zurich area has seen a gradual decrease in teen substance abuse, according to Belke.

            In the past six years, the number of teens using illegal substances has decreased by four percent in the Lake Zurich community, according to the 2012 Illinois Youth Survey.

            “We are happy to see that substance abuse has gone down,” Belke said, “but it’s still important to keep the students educated on the harmful side effects in case students were ever faced with a situation.”

            The main source of information will come from student views and opinion regarding how to advertise the campaign.

            “The students are the ones who are seeing what is happening in the community,” Belke said, “so it is important to have as much student input as possible. It’s about collecting data to produce a quality visual of how to make this a safer environment.”