Miss Belize joins fight against drugs
Young people are always hearing that they should stay away from drugs but to make sure the message is truly being heard the National Drug Abuse Control Council has launched the first national anti-drug ad competition. NDACC says they are involving Miss Belize Viola Jeffery, who has an interest on educating our youngsters about drugs, in the campaign to try a fresh approach.
Viola Jeffery, Miss Belize 1998-99
“What they are trying to do is to promote an anti-drug competition where children, adults, working people of all ages can participate in contributing their own ideas; their own opinions of how to get people off drugs or how to promote people not to start on drugs. And, the way they are doing it is to have this radio competition where people will be creative and make up their own radio advertisement and they will be playing it on the radio.”
Jeffery says that the competition is open to all ages and entries must be no longer than forty-five seconds.
Viola Jeffery
“It can be in English, Spanish or Creole. It can be a combination of all whichever you prefer. It could be more than one persons. You could get a group of people coming together to work on this project. You can focus on any drug: tobacco, alcohol whichever you prefer. Basically all you need to do is to have your entry in by March fifteenth to April fifteenth.”
While she prepares herself to represent Belize in the Miss Universe Pageant to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, Viola feels that it is very essential to teach our children about the consequences of drugs.
Viola Jeffery
“First of all I am studying counseling for drug and alcohol. I really feel that this is a good area to focus on, especially when we talk about kids. They are the beginning, the generation that will be moving up in the future. And if we can’t start from now and teach them about the rights and the wrongs and the dangers of drugs then what kind of society will we be having in the future? That’s why I have no problem in taking out time to work along with them. I learn a lot from them and they learn a lot from me.”
Hyacinth Latchman for News Five.
The three first place winners will receive two hundred and fifty dollars each. Three second place winners will receive one hundred and fifty dollars, while third place winners will get one hundred dollars each. The winning entries will be broadcast on Love FM during Drug Awareness Week which runs from May thirtieth to June fourth. If you would like to enter the competition you must turn in your original advertisement recorded on audio cassette to the NDACC office by April fifteenth.
