Working with West Yorkshire Police’s media team, the Student LSCP developed an animated gif to deliver the message ‘Running away is not the answer’. Group members chose the images and wording for the animation, which was used as part of a West Yorkshire wide social media campaign targeting teenagers across the region.
The key messages of the campaign were to:
- encourage young people to seek help and support rather than run away from home or care
- reassure young people that running away isn’t the answer and that help is available, regardless of the problem
- sign post young people to organisations who can offer help and support.
The animation looks at the issue of arguments at home as a potential reason that a young person may have for running away. Clicks on the advert took viewers to the campaign page for helpful information.
The campaign ran for 1 month and successfully achieved 1726 clicks. Young people who run away become more vulnerable to exploitation or at risk of violence and therefore it is important to encourage young people to seek support if they are considering running away.