Opportunity
The Drugs.ie “Let’s Talk About Drugs” National Youth Media Awards is an annual drug education competition that aims to help young people explore and understand various issues relating to drug and alcohol use in Irish society. Young people are asked to research topics or share their personal experiences and create either a short video, an audio podcast, a news article or a poster.
The deadline for 2018 entries has been extended to 9 April 2018.
The competition is primarily aimed at secondary schools, colleges, and youth clubs nationwide and is supported by the Department of Health, the HSE, the Ana Liffey Drug Project, Healthy Ireland, and drugs.ie, Ireland’s National Drug and Alcohol Information and Support Website.
By getting involved, young people can explore the issue of drugs and alcohol from a constructionist learning experience. This can have a more meaningful impact on their own understanding of the issues.
The themes for the 2018 competition are divided into categories based on age.
The themes for the 12-14 and 15-17 age categories include:
- Talk about – underage drinking and the risks
- Talk about – cannabis and the risks
The themes for the 18-21 and 22-25 age categories include:
- Talk about – club drugs – what are the risks?
- Talk about – performance and image enhancing drugs – what are the risks?
Winners from the four age categories will receive a €250 One4All gift card and the overall winner will receive a prize of €1,000 One4All gift cards. Winners will also have their work published on drugs.ie.
Full competition details, information for teachers, recommended research sites and examples of previous winners can be found at www.drugs.ie/awards