The Small Talks campaign aims to prevent underage drinking by providing adults with the information and resources they need to connect with kids early and often on issues related to alcohol use.

Five years of conversations

Thank you for joining us in marking five years of the Small Talks campaign.

In March, we asked you to help parents, caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking by sharing the key messages of the Small Talks campaign from April through October.

• Because you care about kids, you care about underage drinking.
• Underage drinking has harmful health effects.
• Adults are the most powerful influence on choices kids make about underage drinking.
• Having short, casual conversations with kids early and often on the dangers of underage drinking helps build connection and trust so important messages stick with them.

With your efforts and our purchase of advertising across the state, the visibility of the Small Talks campaign reached a new high, with more than 30 million impressions of Small Talks campaign promotions during this time.

People didn’t just see the Small Talks campaign in their community, they joined the movement by:

• Visiting SmallTalksWI.org. More than 294,000 visits to one of the eight pages on the website were logged during this time, more than 40 times the website visits during the same period in 2024.
• Watching a Small Talks video. More than 3.1 million views of one of the 36 videos on the Small Talks YouTube channel were logged during this time. There were about 200 views of these videos during the same period in 2024. 

Your enthusiasm and passion for the Small Talks campaign is making a difference. While the rate of current alcohol consumption among high schoolers in Wisconsin has been slightly higher than the national rate over the past five years, the rate has been holding steady. This is an accomplishment worth celebrating given alcohol’s role in Wisconsin’s culture.

Popular resources

The Small Talks: Partner Resources page on the DHS website features a variety of tools to promote and support small talks in your community.

The most popular resources in the last six months include the following guides.

How to answer (and ask) the tough questions, P-02949 (PDF) Once small talks start happening, adults may get hit with tough questions. The good news? That’s okay. In fact, it is a sign the small talks are working. This guide helps adults feel more prepared for small talks.

Alcohol, kids, and cancer: making the connection, P-02951 (PDF) This guide gives adults the information they need to give kids the confidence to grow up alcohol-free and reduce their risk for cancer.

Sign up for our Small Talks email list to receive future editions of this newsletter. 

The next Small Talks Newsletter will be issued in spring 2026. Email your feedback on this newsletter to DHSDCTSSmallTalks@dhs.wisconsin.gov. 

Do not reply directly to this email message. If you have questions about the Small Talks underage drinking prevention campaign, email the DHSDCTSSmallTalks@dhs.wisconsin.gov.