Youth groups from Carthage churches participated in the Tiger Tank Prevention Challenge on November 8.
This event, funded by a grant from ACT Missouri through the Carthage Caring Communities Coalition and hosted by the Alliance of Southwest Missouri, will hopefully grow to become a yearly event for area youth groups.
The youth groups worked together to produce an informational video and promotional poster with the theme of “Just Say No – But Why?”
They presented their finished products to a panel of judges from area agencies that included Jonathan Roberts, Executive Director at Fair Acres Family Y, Janet Stafford, Director of Carthage Area United Way, Jen Black, Executive Director of the Alliance of Southwest Missouri, Sara Turley, Digital Marketing Specialist with hyfn local, and Matt Huntley, Principal at Carthage High School. The teams participated in discussions with the judges about drug issues they are faced with as teens.
Grace Episcopal Church’s youth group, The Episcopad, showcased their video, presented by Klayton Kollmeyer, Landon Parker, Lola Chapman, and Tristan Lynch.
They used the concept of a party getting busted by Officer Chad Dininger where they learned the perils of drug use that included juvenile detention, addiction to harder drugs when introduced to gateway drugs, having a mark on your permanent record for students who are of age, and the long-term effects of drug use.
Their poster was hand drawn and focused on beer, marijuana, and prescription drugs. It included statistics about age of starting each drug, drug side effects, and outcomes.
“I am proud of everyone who came together to make this video. The research taught us more about how tragic drugs are and how they can get you on a bad path,” Chapman said. “After this project our youth group is closer than ever and we are really proud of ourselves.”
“We couldn’t have been happier with the results. They were all really engaged and all wanted to give the money to their trip fund for their pilgrimage they take every three years. They stepped up and told us what roles they wanted to take and all followed through to the end,” Trish Charleston said. “We did this over three Wednesday nights and they did an amazing job!”
The Episcopad team received a gift card for $250 for their first-place finish. Their commercial will also air on KSN in January and their poster will be displayed in local businesses.
Second-place was the youth group from Carthage Nazarene, MARKED Student Ministries. This group was comprised of Brendan Duvall, Charlie Oldham, and Johnathan Ensor.
Their video was centered around a drug deal in a local alley and showed Ensor being talked out of trying drugs by Duvall, who was trying to be the voice of reason. Statistic slides were used throughout the video clip and included information about various ways students acquire drugs and statistics on drug use for the most popular street drugs.
“I was proud of the way some of our students dedicated themselves to making a drug-free campaign,” Pastor Terrin Garber said. “Johnathan really stepped up and helped lead the way with this project. I’m proud of his efforts and of all the students who helped with the project.”
The MARKED team received a $125 gift card for their second-place finish in the contest. Their poster focused on the side effects of opioids, methamphetamines, and cocaine and will be displayed in area businesses.
