Event highlights
22 April 2024
On 11–12 April, WHO/Europe hosted an engaging capacity-building communications workshop that gathered over 80 participants and UN City, Copenhagen, with an additional 30 joining the workshop sessions online. The diverse group of participants included young researchers, youth advocates and communications experts.
Throughout the 2-day event, participants were able to attend various sessions designed to provide valuable insights into communicating about alcohol and navigating the world of peer-reviewed publishing.
Some notable highlights of the event included:
• Discussions took place on the most popular content on alcohol that is trending on various social media platforms, and how to leverage this content to help change the narrative on alcohol consumption and educate about its health-related harms.
• During several sessions on writing for peer-reviewed journals, participants received valuable insights in journal writing from the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (KBS), and early career researchers had the opportunity to showcase their current research on alcohol-related topics.
• With artificial intelligence (AI) continuing to seep into our daily lives, participants received a comprehensive overview of different AI tools, and learned about various possibilities on how to use AI in communications, including how to give prompts effectively.
• The event ended with the first-ever alcohol-free Friday bar at UN City, endorsing WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge’s initiative for healthier and more inclusive social opportunities, complete with music, entertainment and alcohol-free cocktails.
Event notice
11 April 2024
In 2022, WHO/Europe initiated the Evidence into Action Alcohol Project (EVID-ACTION) with support from the European Commission. Among other activities, the project is working to increase awareness among the public and policy-makers about the links between alcohol consumption and its related harms.
On 11–12 April 2024, WHO/Europe is organizing a capacity-building workshop for young advocates, early career researchers, and experts involved in the implementation of the EVID-ACTION project. The first day of the workshop will focus on practical tips for impactfully communicating about alcohol and health on social media and other public communications channels. The second day will focus on writing and publishing scientific articles on alcohol-related topics in peer-reviewed journals. The meeting aims to:
- increase capacity in communicating public health risks in relation to alcohol consumption in different communications contexts;
- introduce and refresh knowledge about social media communications, platform algorithms and performance metrics;
- explore narratives for raising awareness about alcohol and health among different audiences; and
- outline the process for writing and publishing research articles for peer-review journals, communicating evidence on alcohol and health.
The meetings will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the working language of the meetings will be English.
This is a closed meeting by invitation only.