For reducing underage and heavy episodic drinking, action needs to be taken by authorities closest to the citizens and where alcohol consumption actually takes place – on the local level. A coordinated local alcohol strategy has proven to be the most promising approach. Municipalities have the public responsibility and power for implementing such a strategy and are the appropriate authority for this task. With “Localize It!” municipalities will be supported in developing and implementing custom-fit local alcohol strategies.
Localize It! aims at strengthening municipalities in their capacity to reduce underage and heavy episodic drinking. Coordinated and custom-fit local alcohol strategies will be developed, implemented and evaluated for two municipalities each in AT, BE, CY, CZ, DE, EL, IT, NL, LU, PT and SK. Seven different settings for alcohol prevention will be addressed including parental work, schools, children in families with alcohol problems, alcohol in public space, party scenes, festivals, gastronomy & retail, refugees and traffic safety. For each setting good practices will be researched, assessed and exchanged at a European conference. Those good practices will serve as a pool of measures for individual local action plans.
By means of a Rapid Assessment and Response (RAR) an overview of the individual local situations will be provided and awareness of the problem will be raised among relevant local actors/stakeholders. Round tables will be established in the municipalities which will function as steering committees. The round tables will develop individual action plans for one of the seven settings, including at least four different measures. The development of local and European networks as well as the specific measures will be evaluated by means of a process and outcome evaluation.

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