Contact: Beth Stone- (508) 584-8120
BROCKTON –Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz and the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative have announced the three local winners of a contest where teens created public service announcements with positive messages around the issue of prescription drug and heroin use.
The PSA Contest, part of a Drug-Free Communities grant sponsored by the District Attorney’s Office, was announced in Winter 2016 at high schools in Brockton, East Bridgewater, Rockland, Whitman-Hanson and at Independence Academy. Teens were instructed to create a 25-second public service announcement for positive social norming around the use of prescription drugs and heroin use. There were 25 entries in the contest and collaborative’s members voted at the regional meeting in May. The winners each received Visa gift cards and will have their videos shown at the East Bridgewater Cinemas. The first place PSA will be shown for the first six months and the second place PSA will be shown for the remaining six months.
- First Place, King Branch and Luke Janvier, Brockton High School – Dreams, which also included an original production of music.
- Second Place, Andrew Powell, Rockland High School — IT’S NOT WORTH IT
- Third Place, Jessica Lutz, Rockland High School – My Brother
“I was proud to be a sponsor of this contest,” DA Cruz said. “This talented group of teens put a lot of thought and effort into an issue that is not an easy one for anyone to talk about,” DA Cruz said. “When movie-goers see these PSAs on the big screen, the message is going to resonate with families everywhere and hopefully change some minds and attitudes along the way.”Hillary Dubois, the Coalition Coordinator for the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative, said, “When we look at effective prevention practices, we need to look at bringing awareness to the entire community. This project was a creative way to engage the youth voice. The school partnerships and students involved all put a great deal of effort into this initiative and it really shows in the final product.”
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