Marjolijn Vencken
Alcohol consumption - sometimes in large quantities - is a feature
of many student clubs, and Heineken Nederland and other organi
sations have been counselling them for six years now on how to
encourage responsible alcohol use among their members.
HEINEKEN NEDERLAND SHOWS STUDENTS HOW TO ENJOY HEINEKEN RESPONSIBLY
This year, the company has adopted a new
approach that seems to be bringing better
results. Student clubs often do not have a
policy for responsible alcohol consumption.
Drinking alcohol is perceived as part of
student life and, despite regular reports of
incidents resulting from alcohol abuse, many
student clubs are unprepared for that one
incident that causes outrage - on the part of
parents, press or government. Their attitude
is that a serious incident will never happen
in their club.
Marjolijn Vencken, Communications Advisor
at Heineken Nederland, doesn't believe in
sending student clubs piles of paper dealing
with this issue. 'It will only end up in the bin.'
'The only way to persuade people to intro
duce a policy on responsible alcohol con
sumption is to convince them of the need
for it,' she says. Instead, Heineken Nederland
organised an Alcohol Policy Day this year,
together with three other organisations
-the National Chamber of Student
Associations (an umbrella organisation for
Dutch student clubs), the Netherlands
Institute for Health Promotion and Disease
Prevention and the Dutch Foundation on
Responsible Drinking. As part of this event,
the committees of all student clubs in the
Netherlands were invited to take part in a
crisis simulation involving alcohol abuse.
The exercise brought home to the 120 parti
cipating students the importance of having
a policy on responsible alcohol consumption
and made them understand that having a
policy of this kind could help prevent a crisis
occurring in the first place. It was made clear
to the students that they are not alone in
wanting their members to enjoy alcohol
responsibly. There are other stakeholders -
the university, the local authorities, the police
and others-who have an interest in this issue
and can help them develop and implement
a policy on responsible alcohol consumption.
The Alcohol Policy Day has since produced
two other results, both positive and both
unexpected. Firstly, student clubs have asked
Heineken Nederland to provide training in
giving advice on responsible alcohol con
sumption for the mentors who run the induc
tion programmes for first-year students.
Students are clearly starting to understand
what is at stake when they use alcohol and
are prepared to take responsibility. 'Training
the mentors helps us to reach the grassroots
of the student population,' says Marjolijn
Vencken, who sees this result as a high point
in her work in this field. 'It's a great leap
forward.'
Secondly, other alcohol producers and
importers in the Netherlands have also
offered to hold similar policy days at student
sport clubs and hotel and catering schools.
'Word is spreading that Heineken should be
enjoyed responsibly.'
Training on rules for responsible commercial communication
Performance of Heineken world-wide,
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