UPEI goes on the road with KeepItSocial.ca

The UPEI Department of Athletics and Recreation and the PEI Liquor Control Commission (PEILCC) revealed details today for the second phase of the KeepItSocial.ca-Panther Sport program that was first announced in November 2016—aboard a bus!

KeepItSocial.ca is a digital platform that promotes responsible alcohol consumption, emphasizing social drinking versus binge drinking. The highly visual and provocative promotional campaign that supports the website builds awareness and is aimed at starting a dialogue about high-risk alcohol consumption and its associated harms.

Jamie MacLeod, Director of Corporate Services, PEILCC, and Dr. Robert Gilmour, UPEI Vice-President Academic and Research, introduced the UPEI KeepItSocial.ca student-athlete ambassadors and unveiled program details.

“The PEILCC is pleased to partner with UPEI in promoting and supporting the Keep It Social campaign,” said MacLeod. “A key mandate of the Liquor Control Commission is public safety and social responsibility. This particular initiative is one that strongly lends itself to that mandate, and we look forward to it being very successful with the important involvement and leadership from UPEI and its students.”

“I want to thank the PEILCC for partnering with us on this initiative,” said Gilmour. “And I want to highlight the great work of UPEI Athletics and Recreation and our student ambassadors. These students are already leaders on campus. In taking on this role, you’re using your position to help your fellow students to Keep It Social.”

The signature campaign product is a motor coach wrapped with KeepItSocial.ca and UPEI Panthers branding that will put focus on the responsible drinking message while Panther student-athletes travel throughout the Maritime Provinces to their “away” games. The wrap was designed by UPEI in partnership with PEILCC, Coach Atlantic, and KKP. The motor coach will be used for the first time today to transport the UPEI men’s and women’s basketball teams to Cape Breton.

Since November, printed and digital KeepItSocial.ca signs have been placed at the UPEI Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre and MacLauchlan Arena, and branded promotional products like “cheering clappers” have been distributed to fans at Panther home games. These branded products, along with game-day announcements, will support the KeepItSocial.ca ambassadors who will take the lead in spreading the message about high-risk alcohol consumption among students at UPEI and to the general public at a variety of events and through social media.

KeepItSocial.ca originated with the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission and NS universities, and was adopted by UPEI in partnership with the PEILCC in March 2016. It expanded to post-secondary institutions in NB and NL when Atlantic University Sport signed on as a partner in September 2016 and encouraged all AUS athletics and recreation departments to activate the program.

About UPEI Athletics and Recreation
UPEI Athletics and Recreation supports UPEI’s mission by providing leadership in the promotion of athletic excellence and the delivery of quality physical activity programs and services that enhance health, wellness, and a sense of community. The Department provides opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and community members to cheer on UPEI’s varsity and club Panther Sport teams and to take part in recreation and fitness programming.