BEND, OR -- Deschutes County is offering local young people the opportunity to share why there is no space in their life for unsafe choices around alcohol. Julie Spackman with the Shared Future Coalition tells KBND News, 30% of 18 to 25 year olds participate in binge or underage drinking. "As we were brainstorming how can we get young people involved? We realized, a video contest is a really active way that young people can share a positive voice and really focus on that portion of the population that are making smart choices around alcohol," she says.
It’s the second year for the Success Not Wasted amateur video competition. Eric Jones was a finalist in last year’s competition. He says it’s easier than it sounds, "It is an amateur contest. Really, you need a smart phone, about an hour of your time, maybe a couple of friends and an idea and see where it goes. My idea last year, literally, I sat down with a friend of mine and we jut kinda talked about a story involving alcohol use and setting goals and how to reach them."
Spackman says videos must be 60-seconds or shorter, and the best are personal. "The lead producer needs to be 18-25, but what we see with this age range is it really spans a lot of different life experience. So, there may be people in this age range may have children and that’s why they choose to make smart choices around alcohol. The people in the video or the images in the video don’t have to be limited to young adults. But, the target audience – we want the message to speak to other young adults."
Videos will be accepted through February 4, 2015, and can be submitted through the Shared Future Coalition’s website or Facebook page.
