Day Treatment students share ‘Keep It Real’ message on drinking

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Thursday, December 01, 2011

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Josh Greer, Dulce Silva and Trell Turner created PSAs for the eighth annual Keep It Real video contest, which discourages underage drinking. The premise is that teenagers are more likely to understand and heed the message when they design the message. (Not pictured: Viktor Castillo)

Josh Greer, Dulce Silva and Trell Turner created PSAs for the eighth annual Keep It Real video contest, which discourages underage drinking. The premise is that teenagers are more likely to understand and heed the message when they design the message. (Not pictured: Viktor Castillo)

Josh Greer, Dulce Silva and Trell Turner created PSAs for the eighth annual Keep It Real video contest, which discourages underage drinking. The premise is that teenagers are more likely to understand and heed the message when they design the message. (Not pictured: Viktor Castillo)At the start of one video, Dulce and Viktor are friends walking the same path in life.When one young character chooses to drink, however, the other turns toward a more positive route. Their video played off the ending of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken."Trell and Josh's video pointed out how alcohol can lead teens to do foolish things they later regret."He's funny anyway so we went for comedy," Josh said of his buddy Trell (pictured).

In four of the past five years, students at Lexington Day Treatment have brought home honors in the Keep It Real contest for their videos on the benefits of not drinking underage. They hope to maintain that streak in 2012 with two entries that emphasize staying focused and on track.

Freshman Trell Turner and senior Josh Greer opted for a comedic approach with hip-hop music as the backdrop of their public service announcement. It opens with the intro to artist Mos Def’s “Quiet Dog Bite Hard”.  

“Basically he’s telling you to stick to your goals and stay on the right path,” Trell explained.  

He and Josh played around with the text, the number of frames and the music clips to edit it all for the 30-second window.  

“Our theme is the things drinking will do to you,” said Trell, who portrayed the hapless victim. 

The video notes that alcohol can be dangerous to one’s health and teens can regret their actions after a binge, and the clever ending urges kids to “Be above the influence.” Both students think their entry will leave an impression.

“They’ll get the message because it’s made by (fellow) teenagers,” predicted Josh, who worked behind the camera. 

“It’ll catch people’s attention, from zero to 30,” Trell added. “Hopefully it’ll impact someone – win or not.”  

Michelle Harris, a special education and English teacher, helped the students with their projects. 

“They’ve learned some things about themselves. They weren’t quite sure and needed a little guidance, and they took off with it,” she said.  

Seniors Dulce Silva and Viktor Castillo even produced their video in Spanish, using a poem they recently studied in class for their theme. 

“It was really important to them that it was for the Spanish-speaking population. They felt their culture and language would be appreciated,” Harris said. 

The video revolves around the last line of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. 

In the opening scene, Dulce and Viktor walk together down the same path, but he’s holding a beer can. It’s her choice to break off and follow another route in life.  

As Dulce said, “He took the bad way, to drink, and I went the other way.” 

The back story 

The Lexington Day Treatment Center is run by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in collaboration with Fayette County Public Schools and the Department of Juvenile Justice. About 40 students are currently on site, taking classes under FCPS teachers and receiving individualized treatment and counseling from Division of Youth Services professionals.  

The Keep It Real initiative is funded by a national grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and hosted by Kentucky State Police. The guiding premise is that youth are more likely to understand the message when they design the message.   

Among this year’s firsts are a new category for Most Original Music (lyrics or score) and a drawing for two free iPad2s at the February awards ceremony. The entry deadline for the statewide contest is Dec. 12, and the online voting window is Jan. 9-20. The overall winning video will be broadcast on WKYT-27 and select cable stations and shown with trailers in local movie theaters. In addition, an FCPS winner will present his or her video at an LFUCG council meeting.  

“For our kids, (Keep It Real) gives them a chance to compete with people in a regular school, and it builds confidence when they see they can not just compete but also win,” said Lisa Berman, clinical services manager at Day Treatment. “Confidence boosting is huge. But it’s also the idea that they’re gearing their energy in a pro-social, positive way, and they can see they do have something positive to contribute.”  

2011 accolades for Lexington Day Treatment 

 

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