Pubdate: Mon, 31 Oct 2005
Source: Helena Independent Record (MT)
Copyright: 2005 Helena Independent Record
Contact:  http://helenair.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1187
Author: Carolynn Bright, IR Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

KIDS' MEDIA CAMPAIGN DELIVERS ANTI-DRUG MESSAGE

Mission of the Youth Connections Coalition is to promote positive
skills for youths

A recent survey of Helena youth indicates that 50 percent of them
believe adults in Helena do not disapprove of underage drinking and
drug use.

This week, a media campaign designed by seventh graders will premier
on local television, radio, newspapers and billboards, asking parents
to be the adults and set the rules for their children.

"How can I break the rules if I don't know what they are?"

"Set boundaries. It's a parent's job."

"If now's not the time, when is? Talk to your kids."

Those are some of the questions and messages the media campaign will
include, according to Casey Molloy, one of the program coordinators.
She represents the Helena School District and the Youth Connections
Coalition.

The Youth Connections Coalition is a group of more than 50 volunteer
representatives from numerous areas within the community whose mission
is to foster a safe and caring environment that promotes positive
skills and healthy development for all youth.

Earlier this year, communication arts teachers in the Helena School
District asked their seventh grade students to turn a critical eye to
media messages.

Helena Middle School teacher Claudia Crase said the four-week-long
investigation of mass media marketing techniques fell squarely in
their students' area of interest.

"It was right where they live," she explained.

And while the students were interested to learn to recognize that they
were being manipulated by advertising, they were even more excited to
find out that they would have an opportunity to develop an advertising
campaign of their own to deliver their anti-drug message.

Ellen McEwen, an eighth grade student at HMS, helped plan a television
commercial as part of the project.

She said her group considered what types of images would make people
think about their message, and determined that a sad, serious tone
would be most effective.

"It was cool that if you made an ad, people would see it," McEwen
said, explaining her enthusiasm for the project.

The federally funded advertising campaign is but one element of the
Youth Connections Coalition's strategy to instill the 40 assets of
healthy development identified by a recent study conducted by the
Search Institute, into the lives of Helena youths.

Molloy said the target of the 40 assets -- which include youth
programs, homework and adult role models -- is to "build up" area
children by forming relationships, so they will learn to avoid high
risk behaviors like underage drinking and illegal drug use.

"This is how we're going to make a difference," she said.

In addition to supporting the media literacy project, the Youth
Connections Coalition recently co-sponsored a town meeting to discuss
the growing methamphetamine problem in our community.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin