Ottawa, December 13, 2013 – The RCMP is proud to announce the winners of theCanadian Champions video contest, which was intended to promote drug awareness and prevention by engaging youth in a new and exciting way. Two winning teams, consisting of Marco Palmieri, Ander Barillas, Martin Ciesielski-Listwan, Alyssia Jovellanos and Caleb Okoh from Brampton, Ontario for their video entitled "It’s Too Late”, as well as Heloise Gauthier-Plante, Elysabeth Martel, and Laurianne Normand from the Magog, Quebec area for their video entitled “Trouve un moyen de dire non”, were selected out of dozens of entries from across Canada.
Each winning team was handed autographed Sidney Crosby Canadian Olympic jerseys, Apple iPods, and RCMP water bottles. Secondary prizes were also distributed to other teams who demonstrated the benefits of being drug-free.
The video contest, which began in December of 2012, encouraged students from grades 7 to 12 across the country to submit a Public Service Announcement between 30 seconds and one minute addressing the importance of making smart choices and being drug free. The RCMP was pleased with the number of entries received and the originality demonstrated by all participants.
The contest was part of an RCMP national youth engagement initiative called “Canadian Champions” which aims at engaging young Canadians in building a drug-free future and offers youth a variety of information and tools to make informed choices and become ambassadors of a drug-free lifestyle. Led by Sergeant Keith Mackinnon of the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Strategy in Nova Scotia, this initiative includes a 25-minute video depicting Canadian celebrities and high school students who joined efforts to tell their personal stories on how staying drug-free made a significant difference in their lives, as well as a guide for teachers to engage their students on the right path.
The Canadian Champions initiative is one of several ways the RCMP is fulfilling its responsibilities as outlined in the National Anti-Drug Strategy, a collaborative effort focused on prevention and access to treatment for those with drug dependencies, while at the same time getting tough on drug dealers and producers who threaten the safety of our youth and communities.
To watch the winning videos, visit the RCMP YouTube channel.
For more information on Canadian Champions, visit the Centre for Youth Crime Prevention site.
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