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Smashed: Youth, Brains and Alcohol
New Mexico is highest in the nation in use of alcohol before age 13.
This documentary examines recent brain research that indicates binge drinking during adolescence can have lifelong negative effects. Through the program we hear from brain research experts, counselors and youth who discuss the reasons for concern and ways we can all help. The program highlights how the brain is affected by alcohol assault, the effect of alcohol on athletic performance and how advertising influences not only decisions about alcohol consumption but its influence on how we think alcohol affects our behavior.
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Date Violence
According to the Center's for Disease Control: One in Five high school girls has been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner; One in Four adolescents reports verbal, physical, emotional or sexual violence each year; over half of students nationally report dating violence among their peers.
"DATE VIOLENCE" is a half hour documentary designed to help people discuss and address violence in relationships and at school. It gives parents tools to use with their children and gives students tools to help them make healthy decisions.
The program follows the story of three young women who are in or have been in abusive dating relationships. One of the women is ultimately killed the other two find a way to get out of the situation. Through their stories, we grow to understand the warning signs of an abusive relationship and how technology plays into this violence more than ever before.
Portions of the show may not be appropriate for some young people to watch. Please read the script and watch the program prior to sharing it with students. This will make discussion with your students easier and more effective.
Awards
Rocky Mountain Emmy Documentary NATAS
Rocky Mountain Emmy Directing NATAS
Rocky Mountain Emmy Governors Award NATAS
Rocky Mountain Emmy Interview/Discussion Program NATAS
One Friday Night
For the first time in broadcast history, all the television stations
in New Mexico carried this documentary on underage drinking,
most on the same night and time period. One Friday Night was
created in coordination with over 150 teenagers and over a dozen
teen video crews throughout the state. As a follow up to the
documentary, three PBS Affiliates in New Mexico carried a one
hour live town hall meeting.
According to the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the average age at which young
people begin to drink is 13. Nearly 25 percent of teens ages
15-17 say that their alcohol and drug use led them to do more,
sexually, than they had planned.
Christopher Productions, in conjunction
with regional advocate groups and media partners, responded to
this ever-growing societal problem with this groundbreaking program.
The documentary focuses on the real life events surrounding a
13 year old girl's death by alcohol poisoning at a slumber party.
Interspersed are the real life answers that teens gave when asked
anonymously what they did on their Friday night. It also reviews
national and local statistics related to underage drinking.
In addition, we provide tools
to help address underage drinking in communities, neighborhoods
and families that include a curriculum guide and a "Empower
Packet" guide for community organizing through town hall
meetings.
Distracted Driving: CRASH
Crash rates are the highest for teens during the first 6 months
and 1,000 miles after licensure.
"CRASH" is a comprehensive
media campaign to help youth and parents throughout New Mexico
understand the dangers associated with distracted driving and
give them specific tools and suggestions for lessening the chance
of a crash.
The project includes a broadcast
documentary, live follow up TV program, a viewer guide and a
town hall meeting guide for youth. This will be an opportunity
for youth and their parents to come together and help make each
other safer drivers.
The hook to the campaign is hearing
and seeing real stories from people who have been involved in
a crash. We will also show the reasons why distracted
driving (intoxication, cell phone use, eating, additional passengers)
causes crashes. The program will also highlight the most recent
research involving cell phone use, DWI, and other causes
of crashes and focusing on the extremely high numbers for distracted
driving crashes especially for young people.
The campaign also includes basic
information about the Graduated Drivers License and it's
effectiveness in reducing teen crashes as well as highlighting
the various reasons that young drivers are so at risk of having
a crash.
Awards:
Bronze World Medal, New York Festivals
High
New Mexico has one of the highest drug related death rates in
the nation. Over 30% of New Mexico students have been offered
drugs at school. This project includes a 30 minute documentary,
a 20 minute version as well as a viewer guide for classrooms
and organizations to explore the reasons, dangers and answers
to drug problems.
The viewer will learn about the
extent and effect of drugs on our kids as highlighted by statistics
and true stories. It is an opportunity for youth and their parents
to come together and discuss solutions to this issue.
Experts include a medical doctor
who performs an autopsy and speaks very clinically about what
happens to specific organs of the body when drugs are introduced.
This autopsy, while real, is filmed so as not to shock the audience
or show things that will make people uncomfortable. The doctor
discusses why prescription drugs are particularly dangerous,
when used illegally and not for the person whom the drug is prescribed.
He also explains why some drugs make the person feel "good"
but what actually happens inside the body and its ultimate bad
effect.
Also included are interviews
with school counselors, parents, and youth about what is happening
with drugs and kids. We hear from youth who have had experiences
with drugs and from police experts about how to identify what
drug a person is on so parents can recognize if their child is
high. Additionally, a brain research expert and a youth psychologist
talk about the developing young brain and how drug use during
adolescents can affect the brain permanently.
Awards:
Bronze World Medal, New York Film Festival
Finalist, National "Voice" Awards National Institute
of Mental Health
Nominee, Documentary Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards
Not In My Family | Mental Health Stigma
This project utilized a documentary that included interactive
electronic technology to reach a teenage audience. The program
included cell phone interviews captured by teens, live web cams,
interactive text and email surveys and a live studio audience.
This documentary is the centerpiece
of an anti-stigma project about mental health issues. It revolves
around the stories of four young people who are at various stages
of their own mental illness. In order to involve young people
and their communities in the production and therefore start discussion
at the grassroots level, the documentary includes comments that
teenagers have filmed on their cell phones talking about the
issue as well as a full classroom discussion. Following the documentary,
a live program used text messaging, web cams and a small group
of experts to examine next steps in addressing this critical
issue that affects one in five young people in New Mexico.
Partners on the project included schools across the state who
participated in the production through creation of news stories,
through the use of cell phone text messaging and video taping
interviews with their peers. A website was also created for feedback
during the program as well as a link to local mental health services.
Please visit www.SafeTeenNM.org/nimf.
As a result over 1 million people in New Mexico were reached
by the project through the broadcast of this program, involvement
in the creation, newspaper articles, web site interaction and
television news stories. This documentary has been distributed
to each school district in the state.
Party 101: Consequences |
Dangers of Parties
Utilizing teen produced video and police ride-alongs, this program
shows the dangers of youth parties including violence, alcohol
poisoning, date rape and driving while intoxicated.
"Party 101" is a comprehensive
media campaign to help communities deal with youth parties that
include substance and alcohol abuse. This campaign utilizes a
variety of media and video tools to reach educators, parents
and, most importantly, teens to emphasize the message: make healthy
choices about drugs and alcohol and if you don't, there are consequences.
The project involved teens in
the production process and centered on the creation of a one
hour television special. It also includes two special "break
out" videos specifically designed for school officials and
parents and a series of radio and television informational promos
about the issue.
According to several youth focus
groups, the overwhelming interest was to see what actually happens
and hear from kids in bad party situations. This determined the
particular approach for the project.
Parents will receive a wake up
call about what really goes on at these parties and how, even
if their children are not drinking at the party, they are in
real danger just by being there because of behavior from those
youth that are drinking.
School officials, community leaders
and law enforcement will have an opportunity to explore various
solutions to the problem, witness how the Party Patrol works,
and discuss their particular issues in the community conversation
portion of the program.
The Relationship Factor is a
brief video designed to encourage discussion by young people
about what a healthy relationship should be like. It includes
some group discussion on camera and, if used in conjunction with
the viewer/curriclum guide, can lead to good discussion about
dating and other kinds of relationships.
Domestic abuse knows no socio-economic,
ethnic, or age boundaries. Approximately one in five female high
school students is physically or sexually abused by a dating
partner, according to a study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association.
Of young children who come from
a home in which abuse has occurred, 50% will repeat that abuse
when they become adults. Of men who abuse their partners, 80%
grew up in abusive homes.
This project worked on several
levels: educating the public in order to create more effective
legislation for abuse victims; educating those who are in abusive
relationships so they have alternatives and direction to move
forward out of the situation; educating teenagers, their parents
and school officials about date abuse in order to help break
the cycle; and educating the communities most likely to encounter
abuse victims so they will be prepared to help.
Awards:
Rocky Mountain Emmy Award Documentary NATAS
Rocky Mountain Emmy Award Writing NATAS
Coming Back | Youth Suicide
This 30 minute documentary was accompanied by a live 30 minute
discussion program and highlighted the journey of 5 young people
who were coming back from suicide attempts. The project also
included break out videos for parents and educators along with
a curriculum guide for classroom discussion.
Discussion of suicide and depression
is not easy or simple. But the warning signs of suicide can be
recognized, understood and addressed by loved ones. A think tank
of experts gave us research, guidance and insight into the specific
approach for communication and outreach that can be used most
effectively based on current programs and opportunities.
The project focused on suicide
prevention and empowering family and peer friends throughout
the community with tools to help. These tools included specific
information and warning signs so that those most likely to have
contact with potential victims of suicide (teen peers) will know
when to take action to help and ways to help. The primary voice
in the program is that of young people, those who have attempted
suicide and those who have been affected by it.
Awards:
National Association of Commissions for Women Outstanding Achievement
Award
Girls: Challenges/Choices
| Girls Issues
Partnering with all girl video crews, this one hour special addressed
five key issues that affect young women: Body Image, Depression,
Date Violence, Drug Abuse, and Teen Pregnancy.
Research has shown that in third
world countries, when young girls receive an education, and information
about the choices they have, there is economic improvement within
their communities. The "Girls: Challenges/Choices"
project explores the aforementioned issues to improve understanding,
empowerment and self-esteem among these girls.
This unique and groundbreaking
campaign has extensively involved girls ages 13 to 18 throughout
New Mexico in the creation of all aspects of the project so the
message is about teenage girls by teenage girls. Christopher
Productions trained all girl video crews at five diverse schools
in New Mexico (geographically, ethnically, and economically)
to research and totally produce a video story about a particular
aspect of BEING a GIRL in their community. Each school created
a one minute and thirty second video about one of the five major
issues of the campaign. These videos were then broadcast on local
ABC affiliate KOAT during their evening newscast as a lead up
to the full one hour program. To see these videos please visit
www.yearofthegirl.com.
Each of the all-girl video crews
then continued their work and research on the issues and developed
a three to five-minute video project that examined solutions
to the issues in their particular community. These projects were
then used in the one hour interactive television special. The
live broadcast utilized web interactive text messaging as well
as live "web cam" conversation in five remote locations.
"RISK" is a half hour television program designed to help people understand the relationship between adolescent brain development and impulsive decision making. We hope this will rally community and educator support to find ways to help young people make healthy decisions.
A years worth of research went into the information in the program including "think tanks" with experts in all areas related to brain development, adolescent risk behaviors and ways to engage youth in productive activities.
This show is meant to be a catalyst for discussion, which means that there are no right or wrong answers. The purpose is to encourage as much discussion as possible. Young people should be encouraged to actively participate in exchanging ideas and researching related topics of interest.
Portions of the show may not be appropriate for some young people to watch. Please read the script and watch the program prior to sharing it with students. This will make discussion with your students easier and more effective.
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