CBC Video

Our video is now complete and available to the public. Please contact Carol Johns at AADAC to order your copy.

Spring 2000 - Although “When Choices Collide” didn't win any Rosies at the AMPIA Awards, it did win a National “Hygeia Award” that was announced in Toronto early in April. Carol Johns at AADAC did all the hard work in entering the video and we are very pleased for everyone in-volved that it was honoured with the top award. The Hygeia Award was pre-sented at a banquet held during the national HCPRA/AHP con-ference in Toronto, Ontario from April 2-5. The following letter was for-warded to Donna Christensen: On behalf of the Health Care Public Relations Association of Canada (HCPRA), I extend con- gratulations to you and your organization for being selected as First Prize in the Hygeia Award category of Film/Elec-tronic Production. Your entry, “When Choices Collide”, was named First from among eight entries from across Canada. The Hygeia Awards are pre-sented annually to recognize the highest quality of commu-nications and creativity within the health sector. Your entry certainly demonstrates a com-mitment to your community and to the highest standards within our profession. Once again...congratulations. Clay Adams Regional Director Communications North Shore Health Region North Vancouver, BC And congratulations to Donna, who spearheaded, raised funds for, and coordi-nated the entire project. PAID/REID Video wins Hygeia Award Past president Donna Christensen lauded for project co-ordination.

The Objective: To replace the 10-year-old When the Party's Over video with an up-to-date, professionally produced video that addresses the concerns and options confronting today's teenagers when dealing with the serious social issues of drinking and driving. To fill an urgent need for updated, relevant awareness and education tools on impaired driving issues. To highlight the positive, significant impact teenagers can have in their community.

Students from Ardrossan Junior-Senior High School take part in a white-out day.

The Video: A 30-40 minute video that mixes drama and stories from Albertans-SADD students, surviving victims of impaired driving, police and emergency response personnel - to deliver a powerful, compelling awareness-building video that reflects the attitudes and strategies of the '90s. The message will be one that encourages students to make the smart choice. The Target Group: Junior and senior high school students. The Teachers' Kit: AADAC has offered to develop a teachers' guide to accompany the video. The guide will significantly enhance the message and the impact of the video. It will also give instructors an opportunity to expand on issues of social responsibility in general.

The Evaluation Procedures: Input from high school students, members of Students Against Drinking and Driving, and People Against Impaired Driving has resulted in a collaborative effort to develop a script that will capture the interest and attention of teenagers, and deliver a powerful and empowering message. The Target Date: Planning for a completed video in January 1999. The Long-Term Objectives: The video and accompanying teachers' kit will have a shelf life of three to five years. The video we are replacing, When the Party's Over, was not accompanied by supplementary educational material. We believe by developing this new comprehensive package, incorporating current, relevant material in future years will be easily melded into an already existing package.

PAID/REID is excited about a new awareness project we are spearheading that's designed to help educate junior and senior high school students across Alberta.

Last year our organization received an overwhelming number of requests for public speakers from across the province. We tried to accommodate as many requests as we could but ultimately, because of time and distance, we couldn't fulfill everyone's request.

Through our involvement with the Traffic Safety Initiative we were presented with the opportunity to work with CBC-TV to produce a video for use in junior and senior high schools in Alberta.

Upon hearing of the project, AADAC offered to partner with us and develop a teacher's guide to accompany the video.

One of the many reasons we have such high hopes for the project is that the video and teacher's guide will reach every school in the province - something our speakers would never be able to do.

And the depth of our experience with the impaired driving issue in Alberta strongly suggests that there is an urgent and pressing need for new and innovative educational tools targeted specifically at teenagers.

Yet, the only resources we have to share is the 10-year-old video When the Party's Over which, as you might agree, falls short of meeting today's needs since attitudes and strategies have both shifted significantly since that video was created.

The cost for producing the video is $130,983. Our board of directors approved seed funding of $5,000 to help launch the project.  CBC has put an award-winning producer in charge of the video and donated $5,000 worth of time in the edit suite.

Alberta Transportation and Utilities has pledged $50,000 to the project and the Traffic Safety Foundation has pledged $20,000.

Longtime PAID member, current director and a past-president Fern Jordan has donated $2,000 to the video. The Independent Insurance Brokers Association recently pledged $2,500.  The Edmonton Sun has offered $65,000 worht of promotional space in the newspaper to chronicle the video project.

To date we have $79,500 committed to the project. We have recently reapplied to the Wild Rose Foundation for a grant we hope will secure funding for the video portion of the project.

Since March, we have sent out dozens of proposals to Alberta businesses and national corporations. The process is slow and the responses, although supportive of our organization, have turned up few partners for this project.

Our research has shown that this video and teachers' guide will not only fill a great need in Alberta for up-to-date, comprehensive, professionally produced material but it will also fill a void nationally.

In fact, there is nothing as current and comprehensive as our project anywhere in North America.

If you would like to know more about the project or may know of a potential partner, please contact Donna Christensen at the PAID/REID office.