A risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease, mental health
challenges, academic delays, developmental delays, poor relationships or
boundary-setting, etc.

This should address a specific risk factor, clearly explain why it is a risk factor, and offer
quick guidance on how to combat it/overcome it, move the needle forward to decrease
the risk, or where to go for support and resources. Think of empowering them with
information and actionable steps!

● You will have the option to be creative by creating an awareness campaign
via:

○ An ad that can go on buses, freeway signs, benches
○ A Tik-Tok video or set of Instagram slides
○ A YouTube or facebook video where you share PowerPoint slides

or get creative with how you visually demonstrate the material
(don’t just record yourself talking).

○ An interactive webpage or PDF (with working links)
● If you have the consent of others, they may also appear in your campaign but

you have to do the work of coming up with the content, script, editing, etc.
● In true form, campaigns are meant to be disseminated widely, captivating so

that they get your message across quickly, easily shareable and accessible.
● This is a useful exercise because social media and technology play an

important role in reaching parents and children/adolescents – especially now
that COVID-19 has pushed the need for virtual communication and has
increased isolation for many.

In a document include:

1. Target population. Be Specific!
○ What group of parents are you targeting? Some things to

consider:
○ The age of their children. Do you want to

target parents with teens, infants, middle
schoolers, etc

○ The geographic area that they live in. Do you
want to target parents who live in an area with
high levels of air pollution or pesticides? Or
parents with little access to non-processed
foods?

○ The social climate and context. Are you
targeting parents in a school district with
depleting funds/resources? Or parents whose

kids may be experiencing heightened levels of
discrimination due to socio-political discourse?

○ Physical (dis)abilities. Do you want to reach
parents of children with a specific physical
need or health challenge (e.g., hard of
hearing, blind, wheelchair-bound)?

○ Health issues. Do you want to reach parents
with a specific health issue (e.g., diabetes,
asthma, cancer)?

○ Family structure. Do you want to target
separated/divorced co-parenting parents? Or
military families who travel often or go long
periods without seeing one parent?
Incarcerated parents or the parent who is not
incarcerated but whose partner is? Parents
living in multigenerational homes?

○ Other ideas: Recent immigrant parents who
are not fluent in English? Young teen parents,
who have been kicked out? Parents in
college?

2. The risk factor your campaign is addressing. Be Specific, go
beyond saying poverty!

○ For example:
○ Having low access to libraries, educational

materials for the home, or to enrichment
activities outside the home

○ Living in food deserts or living near freeways
or factories

○ Social isolation or poor relational (community,
school, or family) support

○ Decreased access to mental health services
or academic counseling

3. What does this risk factor increase the chances of? Be thorough
and detailed in explaining how/why it increases the risk of certain
outcomes.

○ The risk of falling behind academically (e.g., the number
of vocabulary words a child knows – example: NYC Read
The City)

○ The risk of health-related challenges (e.g., malnutrition,
asthma)

○ The risk of drug use, early sexual activity, gang
membership, increased displays of anger or frustration,
etc

○ The risk of heightened anxiety, depression, poor or
lacking goal setting, poor daily routines, etc

4. How can parents positively intervene, make social or
environmental changes, adjust home life or communication
approaches, be advocates for their children, locate and access
resources, etc to remove the risk factor or create buffers to
decrease the chances of the risk factor from leading to negative
outcomes or experiences.

○ Empower them!
○ Avoid placing blame on the parents and avoid using

deficit-based language
○ Provide specific actionable steps

5. What strategy would you use to disseminate the campaign and
raise awareness?

○ What organizations would you partner with if any? Why
or why not?

○ What media outlets, platforms, or physical spaces would
you use to showcase the campaign material? Why?

○ How long would the campaign run for? Are you choosing
to run it in a particular month, week, or season? Why?

6. References
○ Minimum of 3 citations in APA format at the end
○ Also…use in-text citations in the word doc but no need to

include them in your actual awareness campaign
material

○ Your references can be peer-reviewed journal articles,
policy briefs, or brief reports

* Attach your actual campaign material either as an embedded link within the document,
an image posted at the end of the document, or as a separate document. Whichever
works best for your content.

*Your visual should be clear and captivating. You do not need to have everything you
write out in the document above written or displayed in your actual visual. However,
your campaign material should truly be in alignment with what you described in the
document. Think about what your message is and what you want to promote and avoid
highlighting what you don’t want parents to do or say (instead focus on what they can do
or say to buffer against the risk factor being addressed).