Last week, we participated in a training hosted by the Manchester (New Hampshire) District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as part of their DEA360 initiative at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. At the training, approximately 40 teens from across the state convened to learn about the unique power of public service announcements (PSAs), collaborating with us to develop their creative strategies and ideas for their own PSAs to help address the opioid epidemic. Joining us were officials from the DEA, the Governor’s Youth Coalition, Makin’ it Happen Coalition and Partnership for Drug-Free NH.
To the crowd’s delight, Jim Wahlberg made an appearance and inspired all of the attendees with his personal story and commitment via the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, the organization that will partner with the students and produce PSAs from some of thier ideas.
This issue is particularly critical in New Hampshire where the opioid crisis has devastated thousands of families, with a 30.9 percent statewide increase in the rate of drug overdose deaths from 2014 to 2015.
Our Chief Marketing Officer, Kristi Rowe, led the workshop along with Mark DiMassimo (Chief, DiMassimo Goldstien) and was featured in a WMUR news piece covering the event. Of the event, she said, “All the kids who participated were fantastic and brought such enthusiasm to the workshop. They are all inspirational peer leaders with powerful ideas to address this urgent crisis. We were so excited to be involved in this important initiative and look forward to seeing some of the ideas be brought to life.”