We've all heard the instructions over the past six months: "Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Practice social distancing."
But as University of Nebraska-Lincoln students return to campus, that message is being driven home to the young people who will represent a significant portion of Lincoln's population during the school year.
Archrival, a marketing company focused on youth, debuted its first coronavirus-related campaign — "LNK is Greater Than" — at the Haymarket Farmers Market on Saturday morning.
A team of about 25 ambassadors roamed the Haymarket passing out masks, bracelets and stickers emblazoned with the slogan "Keys, Phone, Mask, 6 Feet, Hands."
It was the first of several efforts the group will make in the coming weeks to try to educate young people about the effectiveness of following the health directives and informing them of the number of COVID-19 cases among people in the 20-29 age bracket.
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According to Archrival account manager Elise Wieseman, who organized the effort, the Greater Than campaign is meant to be "community-driven and youth-led," with many of the ambassadors being UNL students.
The group will also have a steady social media presence aimed at the target demographic.
For some of the ambassadors, being able to reach out to fellow students and young people was a big reason they joined the group.
"It's my senior year, and I'm hoping things can get back to normal," said UNL student Cameron Stussie. "I want to help educate my peers."
Though not everybody at the Farmers Market on Saturday morning was wearing a mask, Wieseman says the group isn't trying to make people feel bad.
"We're trying to come at people with positivity, not shame," she said. "We can talk to the community and continue to grow energy, which is really what we want."
Wieseman said the group hopes to grow the number of ambassadors to at least 50 people and plans to send groups to other parts of Lincoln that see high foot traffic.Â
"We hope we can get other businesses on board and create a communitywide effort," she said.