Library News
Sixth annual Keep It Real--Don't Drink video contest kicks off
Fayette County agencies have received close to $700,000 this year to address substance abuse issues, many of which focus on youth and families. One of the funded programs, the Keep It Real Campaign to Reduce Underage Drinking, kicks off its sixth annual video contest today, through which area teens can win cash prizes and media exposure (television, radio, newspaper, cinemas).
The Mayor’s Alliance on Substance Abuse, together with the Bluegrass Prevention Center and the Fayette County KY-ASAP (Agency for Substance Abuse Policy), has championed these efforts, building a coalition of substance abuse professionals and volunteers in a public/private partnership which includes representatives from every segment of our diversified community. The grant money includes:
--Federal Drug Free Communities Grant: $625,000 grant for five years, $125,000 per year beginning October 1. This grant will focus on alcohol and marijuana prevention, as well as prescription drug abuse issues.
--EUDL (Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws) $65,000 for two years, $32,500 per year--OJJDP funds, through KY State Police. This grant provides the major funding for the Keep It Real Campaign and the video contest.
--YES (Youth Empowerment Systems) $4,235 to three local youth-lead initiatives (Youth Coalition on Alcohol Education, Tates Creek HS, Bryan Station HS). These grants go to youth groups who are addressing alcohol and tobacco prevention efforts.
The Keep It Real video contest has been one of the most visible of the coalition’s efforts. This regional video/Internet contest gives youth the opportunity to produce 30-second videos telling why kids under 21 shouldn’t drink. All entries are posted on the website and community members help select the winners. A new feature this year is a curriculum support package for teachers. To access the teacher package and contest details, go to www.keep-it-real.us.
The Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library has a digital studio which puts video production within the public’s reach. This studio is available for students to use as they create their video entries. Contact the Northside Branch at 231-5590 for details.
"Most high school students don’t drink. But the hard truth is that many do - and those that drink often drink in excess," said campaign spokesperson Joe Elswick, a UK student and graduate of Lafayette High School. “Some people think of drinking as a rite of passage for teens and simply look the other way. This initiative is about so much more than drinking and driving--it’s about quality of life and healthy communities. It is about engaging youth and ADULTS through the video medium to understand that underage drinking poses a danger to a teen’s developing brain. It can affect all aspects of development including social, emotional, intellectual, and physical. It’s not enough to say don’t drink and drive. The message of this campaign is: If you are underage, don’t drink."
The deadline for entries for this year’s video contest is December 11, 2009. The Internet voting, which will takes place January 11 through 22, 2010, determines the winner of the “peoples’ choice" category. Other winners will be selected by a team of professionals. Winners, who will receive up to $200 in cash prizes, will be announced at an Awards Celebration at the Kentucky Theatre on February 2, 2010. The winning videos will appear on regional television and will run in the pre-show ads at local cinemas and have recognition at a Keep It Real Day at a Legends baseball game.
Sponsors: This public/private partnership is spearheaded by Bluegrass Prevention Center and facilitated by the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP), Fayette County Local Board, and the Lexington Mayor’s Alliance on Substance Abuse. Funding is provided through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Initiative and the Kentucky State Police. Other sponsors include Central Baptist Hospital, Video Editing Services, Fusioncorp Design Mediahouse, National Cinemedia, Lynn Imaging, Clear Channel Radio, Lexington Legends, WKYT-TV, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and the Lexington Family Magazine.
Fast Facts*
--Fayette Co. teenagers are binge drinking at a higher rate than in the previous 4 years: 16% of 10th graders in 2004 indicated binge drinking (defined as a MINIMUM of 5 drinks In a row) while the 2008 KIP survey indicated 18% of 10th graders (15 & 16 year olds).
--66% of 10th graders indicated it would be very easy or sort of easy to obtain alcohol in Fayette Co. This is higher than the region (64) or the state averages (63).
--Accessibility to marijuana for 8th, 10th and 12th graders is all higher than the regional or state averages. Almost 56% of 10th graders (15 & 16 year olds) indicate it is very easy or sort of easy to obtain marijuana as compared to 53% for the region and 49% for the state.
--Again, youth in Fayette County have an indicated higher risk for drug use due to their believe that fewer of their parents would feel it is “a little bit wrong" or “not wrong at all" to drink alcohol as compared to regional and state data: 11.7% of 10th graders vs. 13% regionally and 14% statewide
--These contests are a unique way of engaging young people in a dialogue with their parents, teachers and especially with each other. Our belief is that youth understand the message when they help create that message.
*Data based on the KIP (KY Incentives for Prevention) Student Survey administered to 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students throughout Kentucky every other year
Posted on Thursday, November 12, 2009
by Doug Tattershall