Postgraduate students from Humber’s Public Relations (PR) Post-graduate Certificate program celebrated Alcohol Awareness Week by hosting a ‘60s-themed alcohol awareness event, Moderation Nation.
Hosted at the Lakeshore campus for the first time, Moderation Nation’s theme encompassed an era that pushed through boundaries and opened new beginnings. The class dressed in ‘60s clothing and there was music, raffles and snacks to encourage students to come visit the K building of Lakeshore Campus East.
Representatives from organization such as MADD Canada and Arrive Alive, Drive Sober were on hand at the booths, as well as other vendors. They had the opportunity to intereact with approximately 500 student attendees with their message of the benefits of moderation.
With responsibility and moderation as their motto, students in the intensive eight-month program have been working together over the past two months to spread their message through the event, which they planned as part of their event-planning course.
The purpose of the event was to raise awareness and educate students about the effects of excessive alcohol consumption, drinking and driving, fun non-alcoholic options, rules and regulations, and services offered such as taxis, public transit, AA and MADD.
“Even if you’ve spent those nights up late going over little details, you look at an event at the end, and it’s all worth it,” said Bianca Salentyn, event chair. “We wanted to make this a fun event for people so they would want to attend. The most important thing is we got a lot of students out, and I really think our message has spread. We’re very happy with the outcome.”
For the students in the program, planning the event is an opportunity to get practical hands-on experience and practice essential PR skills.
“You have to make the phone calls, write up the thank-you letters, make vendor packages, and do all the correspondence,” said Courtney Summers, vice-chair of the committee. “It’s a great experience because it’s really hands-on as opposed to just reading out of a textbook.”
