Organization Launches “Mask On, Violence Out” Challenge
The Coronavirus Pandemic has impacted and interrupted the lives of young people like no other sector of the population. What typically is the time for celebrations, proms, graduations and the like has been replaced with self-quarantine, social distancing and endless event cancellations. Recognizing the significant set of challenges that young people are facing, Gary native and co-founder of P.O.P. on Youth Violence Dr. Michael McGee has emerged as a prominent voice in the fight against Covid-19, specifically on behalf of children.
As the Covid-19 Chair for the 100 Black Men of Chicago, he serves as a virtual panelist on weekly forums sharing important updates on the Coronavirus pandemic while engaging his organization to educate teens about the virus and non-violent activities.
“While my heart goes out to young people because they are missing the opportunity to celebrate milestones, I am more concerned about them being protected from the virus,” said McGee. “Between all of this free time and a feeling of invincibility, many young people tend to act irresponsibly and even engage in violent activity. It’s our duty to offer positive reinforcement and reel them in from potential negative behavior.”
P.O.P. on Youth Violence is engaging youth in both Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland through the “Mask On, Violence Out” Challenge. The challenge will educate youth about the value of wearing face masks in public to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, while preventing youth violence.
“This challenge serves as a fun and engaging exercise to discuss the importance of safety and social distancing while encouraging violence prevention initiatives during an unprecedented time,” said McGee.
Here are the details of the Challenge:
First Challenge – Best Mask: Using the app TikTok, students can creatively demonstrate their product.
- Challenge students to create masks and share it via TikTok.
- Instructions: Using TikTok, students will create masks to encourage mask-wearing as well as promoting unity in our community.
- To participate, students must follow P.O.P. on Youth Violence’s Instagram page, repost the promo post and share their mask.
- The colors of the masks must be bright and 5 of the colors: White, Lime Green, Police Strobe Blue, Royal Purple or Orange.
Second Challenge – Best Anti-Violence Message: Using a cell phone Video or TikTok, the student can creatively demonstrate their product.
Challenge students to create anti-violence message and share it via video or TikTok.
Instructions: Using a video or TikTok, students will showcase spoken word, poetry, dance, song, rap, etc. in order to promote youth violence prevention and unity.
To participate, students must follow P.O.P. on Youth Violence’s Instagram page, repost the promo post and share their presentation.
Their video/post must not include any profanity, guns, negative comments, provocative dancing, or inappropriate behavior.
Criteria for Entrance into Challenge:
- Must be in junior high or high school in NWI or Chicago.
- Must be enrolled in school and provide proof from a teacher or administrator.
- Each student must complete a P.O.P. survey on Instagram.
Students must follow P.O.P. on Youth Violence’s Instagram page, repost the promo post and share their cell phone video or TikTok video.
The following prizes will be given for each challenge.*
1st – $2,000, 2nd – $1,000, 3rd – $400, 4th – $200, and 5th– $100 (Participants can only win one time.*)
Prizes will be awarded to youth on June 4th. Be sure to follow the P.O.P. on Youth Violence Facebook page and Instagram page.
For more contest details, visit www.poponviolence.org.
