Drug Free Coalition of Hall County Substance Abuse Prevention Video Contest

About The Contest

Lauren Markovich and Lana Wirsig, Coalition interns from Gainesville State College’s Bachelors of Arts, Human Services Delivery and Administration program have developed the Face it…Substance Abuse Prevention video contest.  The contest is designed to give groups of middle and high school students the opportunity to create and deliver innovative and effective substance abuse prevention video messages to their peers and the greater Hall County community.  All submitted videos should address the consequences of substance abuse, substance abuse prevention strategies, and what being “drug free” personally means to them.  Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse are four substances of Coalition focus.

Videos must answer one or more of the following questions:

  1. What does being drug free mean to you?
  2. Why should your peers Face It… and remain drug free, and/or what overall message would you like to tell the members of your community?
  3. Consequences of substance abuse
  4. Substance abuse prevention strategies

The contest is open to groups of middle or high school students.  Each group must contain between 2 to 5 members and may be formal or informal.  An informal group of students may join together specially around this contest; where a formal group may work within a church, school, or organization.

Groups wishing to enter the contest should post their video on YouTube, using your own YouTube account, and email that link to prevention@faceitpeople.org for review.  Deadline for submissions is March 2, 2012.  After videos are submitted and reviewed, they will be posted on the Drug Free Coalition’s website and Facebook account to be shared with the community.  Winning videos will be determined by a combination of “likes” on Facebook, “views” on YouTube, and by a panel of judges.  Those videos receiving the most “likes” and “views” will be reviewed by a panel of judges in order to determine first and second place winners for middle and high school students.  Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place videos of middle and high school students.

The Facts

In 2010, there were 24 accidental prescription drug overdose deaths in Hall County. According to the 2010 GA Student Health Survey II, the average age of onset use of alcohol is 12 years of age, the average age of onset use of marijuana is 12.6 years of age, and 19% of high school seniors report smoking tobacco in the past 30 days.

Coalition intern, Lana Wirsig stated, “I am very excited about this project. I hope we have a great participant turn-out and that this contest can continue for years to come!”

The goals of the Drug Free Coalition of Hall County are:

  1. To reduce substance abuse among youth and, over time, among adults, by addressing the factors in our community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse, and
  2. To establish and strengthen collaboration among Hall County’s private nonprofit agencies and Federal, State, and local governments to support the efforts of our community Coalition to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.

Lauren Markovich, also an intern for the Coalition stated, “This contest is going to be a lot of fun for the entire Hall County community as well as a great learning opportunity. Many of our youth today don’t understand the true dangers and consequences of substance abuse, and it is my hope that this video contest will lead all members of the Hall County community to face it. I can’t wait to see how creative these students are, and I wish every group the best of luck!”

Contact Us

For further information contact: Lauren Markovich and Lana Wirsig at prevention@faceitpeople.org or call the Coalition at 770-524-1080 x277.

Resources

Drug Free Coalition: Strategies to Protect Your Practice

Registration

Click here to register for this event

February 17th, 2012

12:15pm to 1:15pm
Northeast GA Medical Center Walters Auditorium
743 Spring Street, Gainesville, GA 30501 and live on www.nghs.com/cme

The presentation will provide an in depth look at controlled medications, scope of the problem, drugs of abuse, the rules and laws that govern practitioners, agencies who regulate physicians and the medications, current trends in diversion and legislative updates.

Presenter

Adrienne Baker
Principal Agent State Medical Board
& President of GA NADDI
National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators

Important Info

Lunch will be provided with registration, compliments of Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
Please park in the front of the hospital and use the South entrance; parking will be available across Spring Street.

Click here to register for this event

Download Flyer

Click Here to download the flyer

Drug Free Coalition and MAGF: Partnering to Fight Prescription Drug Abuse

September 30, 2011 by Administrator  
Filed under Community, Featured

The Drug Free Coalition of Hall County is pleased to have been selected by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation to develop a pilot project aimed at reducing prescription drug abuse.  Workgroups consisting of Coalition community volunteers are currently planning future events for the various public sectors.

In keeping with the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation’s state-wide campaign, Think About it…, the Coalition will be presenting educational events for the general public and professionals.  In addition the 12-month initiative will include dissemination of safety methods related to prescription drugs that address proper storage and disposal. Learn More: www.rxdrugaddiction.com

Plans are underway to once again take part in the National Take Back Initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  October 29, 2011 is the date set for this national and local event to collect and destroy unused prescription medications. Learn More: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/index.html

The 12-month initiative will focus on the following areas:

  • Medical / Treatment / Recovery Community – Oct., Nov., Dec. 2011
  • Parents / Youth / Schools  - Jan., Feb., March 2012
  • Business / Civic Group / Government / Courts / Law Enforcement – April, May, June 2012
  • Faith Based / Non-Profits / Youth Serving Agencies – July, Aug., Sep. 2012

Resources

PowerPoint

PDF

Please check back for ongoing updates on events and resources regarding prescription drug abuse prevention.  For more information how you can get involved contact JP Banks at 770-534-1080 x277 or by email – jpbanks@faceitpeople.org

The Story of Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction

Event Closed

Download the Flyer »

About:

We’re kicking off a 12-month initiative in partnership with the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation and the Drug Free Coalition of Hall County to pilot a prescription drug abuse prevention project.

Event Information:

September 27th, 2011
6:00-8:30pm
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Walters Auditorium
743 Spring Street, Gainesville, GA 30501

**Light dinner provided with registration – Compliments of Northeast Georgia Medical Center**

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Merrill Norton

Pharm.D., D.Ph., ICCDP-D
Clinical Associate Processor
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy

Registration:

Please click the link below to register for this event:

Event Closed

Download the Flyer »

Hall County Sheriff’s Department: Fatal Vision

September 18, 2010 by Administrator  
Filed under Community, Featured

In April, the Hall County Sheriff’s Department’s Advance Unit set up their Fatal Vision Crash Scene Simulation demonstration for all Hall County high school students.  The purpose of the event was to drive home to students the reality of drinking and driving and the cost such behavior may entail.  The Drug Free Coalition of Hall County was there to capture the event.

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