HALIFAX – A new series of EastLink public service announcements use local athletes to extol the virtues of hitting the books, too, not just the court.
The PSAs featuring Maritime university athletes where unveiled today at a press conference held at the YMCA on Gottingen Street. EastLink and community leader Cecil Wright collaborated on the project which to date involves seven basketball athletes.
The PSA’s, themed ‘Do Your Best,’ promote staying in school, working hard, and making the right decisions. They were developed as a result of recent violent activity in the Halifax downtown area as well as a Statistics Canada study that found Halifax is one of the most violent cities per capita in Canada.
Wright, a passionate advocate for youth in his community, approached EastLink Television and local athletes with the opportunity to develop a message that speaks to youth in the community about the importance of staying in school and doing their best, says the press release.
The Atlantic University Sport athletes participating in the first seven PSA’s are Nelson Carvery from Saint Mary’s University, April Scott and Kathleen MacNeil from Dalhousie University, Katherine Quackenbush and Leslie Stewart from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Jarrett Timmons at Cape Breton University and Tyler Richards playing at St. Francis Xavier University.
“When Statistics Canada released those statistics, I was personally devastated. I wondered how to best send a message to all children and youth about the importance of respecting and succeeding in the academic side of their lives as well as the athletic side," said Wright in the release. "I knew that most of these participating athletes would be home for the holidays and thought that if they would agree to take part, potentially, it could have a powerful impact. I am so very pleased with how this project has turned out”
Filmed at the Gottingen Street Community YMCA, EastLink contributed many hours of employee time and approximately $30,000 in production and editing resources to the project. The video clips will begin airing exclusively on EastLink Television during sports programming this weekend. To thank the YMCA for their support, EastLink made a donation to their youth minor basketball program.
“When Cecil approached us about working together on this project, we felt there was an important role for us to play as a local station with a strong connection to Maritime athletes,” said Michael Smith, director of EastLink Television. “Each day we can share this message with over 240,000 households throughout the Maritimes and we feel it will really resonate with our youth audience.”
In the coming weeks, EastLink Television and Wright will produce three additional PSA’s profiling student athletes from University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Mount Allison and Acadia Universities.
