Program Possibilities: Inked and Pierced

Submitted by Danielle at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

I called up a popular tattoo shop in town and asked if anyone would be willing to come and talk about tattoo/body piercing safety/general info/etc. The owner (tattoo artist/body piercer), his wife (piercer) and two apprentices (piercers) all agreed to come and do an hour presentation. I then asked if there was any way for some gift certificates to be donated so they could be given away and used as an incentive to come. He immediately offered up a $75 gift certificate for tattooing and $50 for body piercing. I used the shop's good reputation and promise of gift certificates to advertise and had 111 people show up for their talk. Not only did they go over safety tips and do's/don'ts, they also did an extensive Q&A session and then stayed for almost an extra half-hour fielding personalized questions from people who came up to them. It was a program well received by nearly all that came.