Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

Dance Party Goers

Dance Party Goers is a CD-sized booklet that alerts young people to the dangers of drug use. It gives legal and medical information, as well as straightforward advice about keeping safe at dance parties.

The Ministry of Health launched this project in response to the dance party phenomenon – in particular, the potential harm that dance party drugs pose to people aged 18–25. The Ministry asked us to redesign and edit an existing resource so it would be meaningful to this audience.

We redesigned the resource in consultation with health officials. It now contains up-to-date information and guidance on the medical risks and legality of various drugs, and it emphasises the practical steps young people can take to keep themselves and their friends safe.

The resource needed to be accurate and useful, but it also needed to be appealing to young people. We developed a dynamic, colourful layout that uses graphics related to the party-going scene. Blocks of bright colour bring the key messages into focus, and the booklet has the look and feel of a simple CD cover so it can be read easily.

We monitor and regularly update Dance Party Goers, ensuring that the information is both legally and medically current and the design is contemporary. Our reprint statistics tell us the resource is used frequently, and comments from the target audience tell us it is balanced, well-written, and accurate.