National campaign to stop the spread of methamphetamine
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[June 21, 2007]
BAY CITY, Wis. -- A grass-roots
campaign is just beginning -- one designed to stop methamphetamine
with the help of local community youth, their talent and their love
for the movies. |
 Methamphetamine is systematically sweeping across the United
States from west to east, ravaging families, communities and
economies as it goes. Many people want to think it's not "my
problem." Think again; meth affects everyone. A new study just
revealed by the National Institute of Health shows meth use
among U.S. youth to be higher than previously expected. It's a
devastating drug that crosses the line for recreational use and
it has to be stopped. Taproot Inc. believes it can, on the
grass-roots level, by promoting the creative talent of every
community's youth. Taproot is sponsoring a national "meth movie"
contest opportunity for all students in all towns. All of these
community movies will become part of a national premiere in
November.
According to Taproot CEO Linda Flanders, "Communities can
encourage their young people to get involved, use their talent
and love of pop culture to jump in and make a short movie -- one
that is entertaining, but more importantly, educates everyone
about the dangers of methamphetamine." The final big national
premiere is Nov. 30, the day all movie entries are shown in
their own hometown for National Methamphetamine Awareness Day.
"Everyone involved learns while making the movie, then learns
even more by watching their own creation," Flanders says.
The rules of the contest are simple: (1) Follow the
researched script; (2) Film like a silent movie with action,
gestures and expressions; (3) Add a narrator who tells the
story; (4) Showcase local music. Show the movie in town as part
of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day on Nov. 30 and send it
in.
Click here for details.
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Student filmmakers can win cash, Apple computers, Final Cut
professional editing software and a Panasonic DVX 100 camera.
Communities can continue to use the movie in schools and
community venues until everyone in town is educated.
Says Flanders; "We want to offer an alternative to drugs and
alcohol by engaging today's youth in the excitement that movies
and music offer, plus promote their creative skills with today's
digital technology." Taproot's vice president, Dr. Dorothy Halla-Poe,
adds, "We also want to help young people learn to solve their
own generation's problems and become constructive activists in
their own community."
Research for the movie script came from affected families and
experts throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The
structure of the movie script is based on The Movie Making
Process, a media arts learning process based on Dr. Stanley
Greenspan's work in early childhood development, Dr. Howard
Gardner's work on multiple intelligences and interests, Dr.
Moshe Feldenkrais' work with functional learning, and the work
of Ron Davis from the Davis Dyslexia Institute with learning
difficulties. "If you want someone to learn something, have them
create it," says Davis.
Taproot Inc.
was founded in 1997 to promote the use of the media arts
for learning. They research and design short movie, song and
stage play scripts into production templates that can be
replicated. The meth movie contest is open to all students,
regardless of age. Movies are to be shown locally on Nov. 30 and
sent in by Dec. 10. Prizes are awarded in February 2008.
[Text from news release received
from
Taproot]
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