MEDIA RELEASE

To increase awareness of the dangers of methamphetamine, also known as “ice,” the Hawaii Meth Project is partnering with Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) for the third year in a row to present a special award for Meth addiction prevention videos as part of HMSA’s 2012 Teen Video Awards Contest.

In addition to prizes from HMSA, the Hawaii Meth Project will award GoPro cameras to each member of the winning group whose video most effectively communicates the risks of using meth.

HMSA’s annual competition challenges Hawaii’s middle and high school students to create videos focusing on important health issues.

Through their partnership, HMSA and the Hawaii Meth Project are encouraging students to create videos that will raise awareness and deliver a message to discourage teen meth use.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with the HMSA for this year’s Teen Video Award Contest,” said Joe Perez, Executive Director of the Hawaii Meth Project. “Every year we are impressed by the creativity and commitment of Hawaii’s teens. Peer-to-peer outreach is one of the most effective methods of reducing teen meth use, and it’s our hope that teens will see this video contest as an opportunity to make a difference in the community by helping spread the word about the dangers of meth.”

Winners will be selected based on content, effectiveness, creativity, and videography. Deadline for submissions is March 5, 2012.

Finalists will be notified in early April and winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony on May 9, 2012 at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu.

Winning videos will be broadcast on local television stations.

The public can also vote for a favorite video 8 a.m. April 2 through 4 p.m. April 13 at the HMSA website.

The video with the most votes will win a Voters’ Choice award worth $500.

This year’s winners, along with those from 2010 and 2011, will have their videos featured on the Meth Project’s website.

Videos featured include Hawaii Baptist Academy “Meth Kills Dreams,” in which a teen boy lists the potential milestones of his life, such as graduation, college, and his wedding, only to see them replaced by the word “Meth,” and Waianae High School “Crystal Mirror,” an animated video that depicts a teen reflecting on the destructive path her life took on meth.

Meth Project is a comprehensive, online resource that answers the questions teens most frequently ask about the physical, mental, and social effects of meth use.

Each question is answered with a range of content — more than 350 in all — from interactive facts, videos, animations, image galleries, polls, and quizzes, to personal stories from users, their friends and family, and first-hand accounts from experts.

The site’s “Speak Up” section — where the HMSA winners will be featured — is a platform that enables teens to connect with one another and share their own stories about meth through artwork, videos, animation, narratives, and photos.

HMSA began the HMSA Teen Video Awards Contest in 2004 to raise awareness of health issues affecting Hawaii’s youth. The program involves teens in a way that is fun, creative, and thought-provoking. It inspires youth dialogue and supports nontraditional learners.

— Find out more:
Hawaii Meth Project: www.HawaiiMethProject.org
HMSA: www.hmsa.com