Partnership for a Drug Free America
Briefly describe the overall goal of your PSA: Partnership for a Drug Free America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOnENVylxPI
Your overall goal should either involve bringing awareness to an issue or promoting a change in behavior.
Briefly describe the target audience for your PSA.
Your audience should guide the creation of your PSA. Think about who they are (age, interests, opinions, influences, etc.), what they expect, what they know and understand, what they don’t know and understand, and how to convince them.
Write a paragraph that explains and details the current situation regarding your topic. Include at least 1 fact from a source.
Write a paragraph that explains why it is important for people to know about this topic. Include at least 1 fact from a source.
Project Requirements
o Topic appropriate for a PSA
o PSA goal
o PSA specified audience
o Summary of the current situation of your topic for your PSA
o Explanation of validity of solution or behavior promoted in PSA
o Explanation of why people need to understand the issue
o List of sources
o List of facts
o PSA video
Sample Solution
The topic for my PSA is about the Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA). The goal of this PSA is to educate people on the prevalence and dangers of drug use and how it can negatively affect individuals, families, and communities. The target audience is teenagers aged 13-19 years old who are at high risk to engage in substance abuse due to peer pressure or curiosity.
Currently, drug use among adolescents continues to be a major concern in the United States according to SAMHSA’s 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Results showed that 20.5 million Americans aged 12 or older reported using illegal drugs within 30 days prior to taking part in the survey with marijuana being most commonly used followed by stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamine; 6.7% of adolescents aged 12-17 also reported misusing prescription drugs without a doctor’s approval within 30 days prior to taking part in the survey.(1) These alarming facts prove how prevalent drug use has become amongst young people today despite efforts from organizations like PDFA which has been working since 1987 towards eliminating illicit drug usage through research, public education campaigns and community involvement activities.(2)
It is extremely important for young people today to understand why illicit drugs should not be taken as well as how they can resist peer pressure when it comes down to experimenting with controlled substances. Drugs have numerous negative consequences such as damaging physical health, mental issues as well as social problems like criminal involvement, academic failure etc.; thus understanding why avoiding them should be every individual's priority.(3) It is also important because taking drugs often times leads young adults into further experimentation with stronger substances which could ultimately lead down dangerous paths with no return journey; this will help ensure their safety while providing proper information on recreational substance abuse which they might otherwise not receive.(4)
In conclusion, although there are various organizations dedicated towards reducing substance misuse amongst teenagers there continues to remain an issue that needs attention; through this particular PSA we hope provide relevant information regarding PDFA's mission while raising awareness on why following their advice could benefit any teenager looking towards living a healthy lifestyle devoid of harmful/controlled substances.
Sources:
1) https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt29393/2019NSDUHFFRPDFWHTML-revised122220_0.pdf?fbclid=IwAR13Ea65fCn6TZzxcJxmX946eoClQbnGdPmVKVyY6MjCRkYsPszcLOlLCv8
2) https://drugfreeamericafoundationblogdotorg2dotstaticwpcomstoragewpcontentuploads201805HistoryofPartnershipforDrugFreeAmericaREV1pdf
3) https://wwwdevicelockcomarticleslongtermnegativeeffectsofdrugabuseonhealth
4)https://drugusepreventiongovenextgeninfopublicationspeersubstanceabuse