Chicago Students Produce Compelling PSAs to Express Views on Teen Parenthood, Bullying, Suicide

CHICAGO - Jan. 14, 2015 - PRLog -- CHICAGO, IL – Bullying, self-esteem and violence are life obstacles teens confront each day at school and in their community.  For teens, finding positive channels to express the impact these challenges have on them and their peers can be a feat.  One resource, however, is the Expressions Challenge, an initiative geared toward the creative arts which allows high school students to use their talents to communicate their life experiences.

Through this initiative, eight high school students will be recognized for their dynamic works on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at the Chicago Cultural Center from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and will have the chance to win $2,000.  Dignitaries, students, parents and teachers will be in attendance to honor these teens.

Nearly 800 high school students from Chicago and surrounding suburbs leveraged the Expressions Challenge to voice their opinion on topics of teen parenthood, self-worth, peer-to-peer bullying, and teen suicide. Students produced compelling PSAs, poems, essays, and artwork venting their pain and providing messages of hope to their peers.

The award recipients for the 2014 Expression peer to peers leaders are:

Mariam Keita– First Place Creative Writing – Winnie Mandela Options High School

Courtney Pugh– Second Place Creative Writing  – Homewood Flossmoor High School

Huy Tran– First Place Visual Arts – Mather High School

Manuel Espinoza– Second Place Visual Arts – Farragut Career Academy High School

Antwon Funches– First Place Media Arts – Simeon Career Academy

Crystal Woods, LaShaunta Moore, and Terrance Black– Second Place Media Arts – Percy L. Julian High School

In addition to their recognition, these teens will receive up to $12,000 in cash as a collective.

Dwayne Bryant, founder and CEO of Inner Vision International, an education and leadership development program for youth, will deliver the keynote address. Bryant felt it critical to partner with the Expressions Challenge initiative to help inspire youth to make healthier choices.  The benefit Bryant finds in Expressions is that it provides an avenue “such as expressive writing and visual arts [to curb] forms of aggression” teens bottle internally.

About Dwayne Bryant

Dwayne Bryant, founder and CEO of Inner Vision International, has impacted the lives of thousands of youth over a 15-year span. Through Bryant’s mission, through Inner Vision, is to motivate, educate, and inspire individuals to achieve their maximum potential in both their personal lives and the communities in which they live. For more information, please visit www.innervisioninternational.com

About Expression Challenge

The Walgreens Expressions Challenge is an incentive based contest for high school students ages 14 to 18 that allows teens to showcase their creative perspective on sexual responsibility and health lifestyle choice. The Expressions Challenge motivates teens to voice their opinion on critical life issues they face daily, including bullying, through creative writing, visual arts and media arts. The contest run October 1 through November 30. For more information visit www.expressionschallenge.com