Cavan student wins prize at national drugs competition

A Loreto student has scooped first prize in the National Youth Media Awards 2016 at a ceremony in Dublin. 

Abbie Rea, from Loretto College, Cavan scooped the first prize in the 15-17 Audio Category in the event entitled 'Let’s Talk About Drugs' run in conjunction with Drugs.ie 

This annual competition encourages discussion of drug-related issues by inviting young people aged between 12-25 to produce either a short video, audio recording or written piece relating to drug and/or alcohol use.

Abbie's impressive monologue conveys the heart ache of living with someone with addiction issues. 

 

Speaking at the event, guest of honour Eoghan McDermott (Irish television and radio presenter) said:

“Drug use is a problem across all age groups and all sectors of society, and youth are no exception to this. To have a project which encourages young people to think about drugs and drug use, to start a conversation with their peers and to create such wonderful resources is simply fantastic. It’s important to empower young people to think critically, to investigate the evidence, to talk with their peers – these are all skills that are essential in life.”
The overall winner was Kells Youthreach for their video ‘Monkey on Your Back’.  

Tony Duffin, Director of the Ana Liffey Drug Project, said: “Not all young people take illicit or unknown drugs, and it is always safest not to do so. However, young people do use drugs, and that is harmful. We want to reduce the chances of harm from drug related injuries or deaths; and the devastating impact that these have on families, friends and communities.

'That’s why we will continue to work with our partners to ensure that meaningful messages get through to this target group via the drugs.ie Media Awards. The overall winning entry ends on a peer-to-peer call to action for young people to educate themselves about drug use and the potential risks involved. Ultimately this is what the Drugs.ie Media Awards is about.”