recoveryoncampusalberta

Substance-Free Events for the Senses

conrad@blueyolk.ca (Conrad Yeung) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:17:36 GMT

Studies have shown the substance-free social events you are planning can provide an opportunity for campus members in – or seeking – recovery to build social connections, have fun, and relax without feeling the pressure to use substance to feel that they belong. But community-focused, recovery-friendly events don’t happen by chance.

There are many factors that go into the planning and promotion of any event, but planning substance-free events add an additional layer of complexity that can be a bit daunting. Let me encourage you that it’s also a chance to get creative in your planning! Even if we remove the element of substance-use we can have some fun “filling the senses” with other healthy, safe, and surprizing alternatives.

Consider what your guests will see, hear, taste, touch, and feel when they are at your event. Will they see an interesting video, art displays, or fun decor? Will they hear from someone with lived experience or a local musician? Will they taste some non-alcoholic drinks or sample some creative snacks? Will they touch activities like games, crafts, or a quiz wheel? Will they feel a warm welcome from your volunteers?

Take time to run your event plan through each of the senses to be sure you’ve added elements that leave your guests with a full experience that they can feel good about the next day! It’s our job as organizers to ensure anything we add to our event is in service to our guests. If done well, your work in providing safe, substance-free events will be a welcome addition to your campus activities!

We’d love to hear from you! What will your guests see, hear, taste, touch, and feel at your next event?

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conrad@blueyolk.ca (Conrad Yeung) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:17:35 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. In this case, it's an interview post, sharing a conversation between the blog writer and a person. Highlight your organization's goals and advantages, through the conversation.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

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conrad@blueyolk.ca (Conrad Yeung) — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:17:35 GMT

Speak to your audience
You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post
Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Edit carefully before posting
Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.