Middlesex DA Seeking Teen-Produced PSAs

Middlesex County middle and high school students, including those in Wayland, are invited to participate in the fourth annual PSA [Public Service Announcement] project.

The Middlesex County District Attorney's office, in conjunction with Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., started the PSA Project in 2009 "in an effort to spark a positive dialogue and encourage teens to speak out about important issues affecting youth," according to a press release.

Participants this year are asked to focus on the importance of promoting healthy, substance-free relationships. Students, any enrolled in a middle or high school in Middlesex County, are asked to produce 30 to 60 second PSAs on the following suggested topic subsets:

• Supporting friends and peers who encounter peer pressure
• Accepting peers for who they are
• Coping with peer pressure
• Appreciating self worth, as an anti-substance approach
• Demonstrating sound judgment and personal responsibility
• Avoiding over-the-counter products that pose health and safety risks
• Avoiding situations that promote substance abuse

“Adolescence is an exciting but often challenging time, where friends and peers play important roles in shaping the decisions of young people," Leone said. "We know that the best communicators to youth are other youth, and our goal through this year’s project is to encourage young people to emphasize the importance of peers and friends helping each other make healthy choices, which includes helping friends avoid illegal and mind/mood-alerting substances.”

A panel of school personnel, law enforcement officials and members of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office will view the submissions and determine the top five finalists. Those finalists' submissions will be shown to high school students throughout Middlesex County and students will vote to select a winner.

"Since the PSA Project began in 2009, it has been a huge success each year," Leone said. "We are excited to start the fourth annual PSA Project and look forward to seeing the creative ways the students choose to communicate this important narrative.”

The winning PSA will be professionally edited and submitted to local television stations.

Entries are due the first week of May and should be submitted on DVD to the Middlesex Partnerships for Youth at 47 Thorndike St., Cambridge, MA 02141.

The contest winner will be announced the week of May 28.

Students from Lexington High School won the 2011 PSA Project with their PSA on cyber safety.

Feel free to upload your PSA to this article for Patch readers to view. Please note, you must send a DVD of your PSA to the address above to enter the contest.