Contests Aim To Decrease Alcohol Impaired Driving
The Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council is offering three chances for area students and adults to win money while promoting healthy lifestyles as part of a five-year program aimed to decrease alcohol impaired driving in the area.
Shannon Martell, consultant for the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, said Fort Peck was one of only two reservations in the nation to receive the grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The contests are a way for the council to introduce the program on the reservation.
The winners of the billboard contest will have their work display on the reservation during the next five years. The billboard will be changed annually.
Poster winners will be featured at schools and tribal buildings.
“It’s a way to introduce and jump start our program,” Martell said of the contests. “We want to bring down the alcohol-related instances in our area. We have a lot of things planned for the next five years.”
The billboard contest is offered for children ages 1417 as well as adults. Entries must create a public service announcement against drinking and driving on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Participants can use local traditions, values and language to emphasize the importance of safe driving with a focus on community well being and respect for life.
First-place prize is $300. The other four prize winners will receive $250, $200, $150 and $100.
The poster contest is also for children ages 14-17 and for adults. The poster should provide a message against drinking and driving on the reservation. Individuals are encouraged to use local traditions, values and language to emphasize the importance of safe driving, focusing on community well being and respect for life.
First-place award is $300, second is $250, third is $200, fourth is $150 and fifth is $100.
In addition, a video conference is offered for students ages 14-18 with the theme of a message against drinking and driving on the reservation. The video will be used on social media platforms and must be 30 seconds to a minute and 30 seconds in length. The five prizes include $300 for first, $250 for second, $200 for third, $150 for fourth and $100 for fifth. In the video category, individuals are urged to share traumatic alcohol-related experiences or how alcohol has impacted their lives.
Drawings and painting must be authentic to the artist. Send submissions to srdmartell@gmail.com by May 30.
The goal of the council is “To create an environment conducive to change within our communities by cultivating positive collaborative efforts with a sense of purpose by building strong, healthy societies where respect and honor is a way of life.”
The council’s vision is, “Healthy, prosperous and strong Tribal communities for our Tribal people living in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.”
