The mystery’s over this weekend.

Austin residents may have noticed strange posters, billboards and newspaper advertisements recently that simply say “it’s about you…” in black lettering. And if you’ve been on the Oakland Avenue East intersection by Budget Oil, you may have also caught a glimpse of a white billboard with indecipherable code.

The organization behind the advertising campaign is the Chemical Health Awareness Initiative, an organization at Austin High School that promotes education and alternative activities in the community other than drug and alcohol use.

“We received a federal grant this past year to (continue) the work we started 2 1/2 years ago and kick it up,” said Kirsten Lindbloom, coordinator of CHAI and program manager at the Parenting Resource Center, who wrote the grant for AHS.

Lindbloom’s position is just one addition to the program made possible by the three-year U.S. Department of Education grant, which includes $230,000 the first year; $205,000 the second; and $210,000 the last year.

CHAI began their “black and white” campaign Jan. 3. This weekend, they flip into the full-color campaign, and this morning, revealed to AHS students who they people are behind the posters around school.

“The idea is about chemical health,” Lindbloom said. “It’s about you – student, parent and community member.

“For the kids, for instance, it’s about you being you,” she said.

“It’s about you being who you want to be. The additives can get in the way of that.”

Examples of the new campaign include a teen with a basketball and the message, “It’s about your bringing your best game,” and another with a guitar and the message, “It’s about you and your bad rocker self.”

CHAI is promoting its new Web site, which launched today. Citizens who decipher the code from the billboards on the Web site can win prizes, like Hy-Vee gift certificates. Students could win an iPod or gift cards. The contest runs until Tuesday.

“We want to get people to the Web site to see what CHAI’s about,” Lindbloom said.

The marketing campaign — which is in the first phase — is only a small part of how CHAI plans to utilize their grant dollars. Events like intramurals, a post-prom party disc golf tournament and spring dance; a transition program for freshman; and classroom education are also part of what CHAI does for students.

“The message from the kids all the time is, there’s nothing to do in Austin,” Lindbloom said. “We just want to be responsive to that.”

Although data is not available to track how CHAI has affected students, participation has been high from the start and growing for intramurals, with about 110 coming to the Sunday night event. Pinguard is just wrapping up, and flag football and kickball are planned for later in the year.

Lindbloom said CHAI has really crossed all social, economic, racial and ethnic boundaries, with students mixing from all backgrounds who may have not without the program.

“We’re really committed to tapping into all our kids,” she said. “There’s no room for ‘there’s nothing to do.’ Kids are telling us there’s more going on.”

Lindbloom explained that the purpose of CHAI is really just showing students there are other things to do besides use drugs and alcohol, and they are responding to it.

“We started this effort two years ago, before we even had the money,” she said.

CHAI has tracked the number of chemical violations since its initiation, and they have declined each year.

“We’ve been watching those steadily decrease in the past 2 1/2 years,” Lindbloom said. “I think it’s part of CHAI; I think it’s part of the community’s effort as a whole.”

For more information about CHAI, visit www.chai-itsaboutyou.org.