Winners Earn Prizes, Top Video to Play in Local Movie Theaters
Harford County kids ages 11 to 18: How would you keep your friends from abusing drugs? Local youth are invited to enter Harford County’s video competition by creating a 30-second public service announcement about the dangers of substance abuse. Winners will earn Visa gift cards and a chance to have their video shown in local movie theaters. Sponsored by the county’s Office of Drug Control Policy, the competition is being held in partnership with Harford County public schools, libraries, the sheriff’s office, health department, and PTAs. The submission deadline is Friday, April 7, 2017.
“Young people have the power to influence their peers, and we need their help in the battle against heroin and other illegal drugs,” said County Executive Barry Glassman. “Our competition encourages Harford County teens and pre-teens to learn, and then teach others, how to use refusal skills and what to do if they suspect a friend is using or has overdosed.”
The competition is intended to build a library of peer-to-peer messages that will resonate with this sometimes elusive age group. Peer-to-peer messaging is recommended by experts in the field of addiction and also recommended by the Maryland Governor’s Heroin Task Force.
Earlier this year, the Glassman administration developed public service announcements shown in local theaters to help bridge the summer gap in countywide drug prevention messaging. That campaign featured six children from Harford County who had lost a family member to an overdose, and it reached an estimated 170,000 moviegoers.
“Feedback on the PSAs we ran in movie theaters was tremendous,” said Amber Shrodes, director of Harford County Community Services. “Now we are eager to see how kids will tackle this issue. What do they think will stop their peers from using drugs?”
The winning PSA will be shown in theaters in June 2017. The first place winner will also receive a $500 Visa gift card. The second place winner will receive a $250 gift card and the third place winner will receive a $100 gift card. APG Federal Credit Union is generously sponsoring the competition and providing the winning prizes.
“We are pleased to support programs that help individuals reach their greatest potential and that help remove negative influences from their lives,” said Don Lewis, president/CEO of APG Federal Credit Union.
Completed PSAs in the correct format are due Friday, April 7, 2017 to [email protected]. Entries may be produced by an individual or a team. Everyone who appears in the video must also sign a permission form and a release form.
For more information and contest rules please visit www.harfordcountymd.gov/services or contact Tara Lathrop at [email protected].
