OAKVILLE, Ontario, March 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MADD Canada and Prince Edward Island Liquor Control Commission (PEILCC) are teaming up on an education program to show Prince Edward Island students how ‘tomorrow’ can be taken away when someone makes the decision to drive impaired.
MADD Canada’s 2018-2019 School Assembly Program, titled No Tomorrow, is a 45-minute film which begins with a fictional story of a group of teen friends and concludes with the stories of real-life victims of impaired driving. It shows students how mixing alcohol, cannabis and other drugs with driving can have tragic and permanent consequences. The formal presentation is supplemented by an Educators’ Guide to help teachers and counsellors continue the crucial sober driving conversation.
Crashes were the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 16 and 25 years in 2014, and MADD Canada estimates more than half of those crashes involved alcohol and/or drugs.
“The goal of our School Assembly Program is to provide students with the facts about impaired driving and the very real toll it takes on individuals, families and communities,” said MADD Canada Chief Operating Officer Dawn Regan. “We want them to walk away from this presentation knowing that impaired driving is 100% preventable, and they each have the power to stop these tragedies from happening.”
MADD Canada and PEILCC, the Provincial Sponsor of No Tomorrow, are hosting a special screening for students at Queen Charlotte Intermediate School in Charlottetown today to highlight the program’s tour of schools across the province. PEILCC is a long-time sponsor of MADD Canada’s School Assembly Program and this year is directly funding 17 presentations to Prince Edward Island students and schools.
“This program is a powerful way to start that conversation with students about the very real dangers, risks and outcomes of driving impaired,” said Heath MacDonald, minister responsible for the PEILCC. “It provides an effective opportunity to educate young people about the consequences of impaired driving and, most importantly, empower them with the information and confidence to make safe, responsible choices and protect themselves and their friends.”
No Tomorrow tells the story of bandmates Marcus, Corey, Trevor and Lee. After winning a contest to record a demo, they get an incredible chance to audition for a music school. Before their audition, Trevor has a few drinks. He is affected more than he thinks, and makes mistakes during the audition. Marcus is offered a spot at the school right away, and Corey and Lee are given an opportunity to re-apply next year. But Trevor, who was obviously impaired during the audition, is not offered a spot or chance to re-apply. The school has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol or drugs. Trevor storms off to the car. Marcus tries unsuccessfully to take the keys. Realizing he can’t stop Trevor from driving away, Marcus jumps in the car. What happens next changes all of their lives forever.
A clip of the new program is available on MADD Canada’s web site.
Surveys show MADD Canada’s education efforts are resonating with young people. In a 2017-2018 survey about that year’s School Assembly Program, titled The Pact, students said:
- the program effectively delivered the sober driving message (66%);
- it motivated them to make the right decision when it comes to preventing impaired driving (74%);
- they had or planned to have conversations with family and friends about impaired driving (73%);
- and they supported having a similar presentation at the school the following year (97%).