AMC announces a COVID-19 Awareness Youth Video Contest
March 12, 2021
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba
alexpapineau
Treaty One Territory, Manitoba – The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) is issuing a challenge to all First Nations youth ages 18 years-old and younger, to enter a contest about COVID-19 and vaccine awareness as we mark the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 cases in Manitoba.
The contest will run for a period of two weeks in which all First Nations youth residing in Manitoba will be provided with a choice of three video ideas that they will use to act out scenarios to teach not only each other about safe COVID-19 practices like hand washing and social distancing, but also general rules about how to safely engage with friends and family who have received the vaccine already.
The prizes for this contest will be an assortment of technology products such as tablets, wireless headphones and other tech products to reward their creativity and advocacy for safe COVID-19 practices that can be later used for their studies and schooling.
AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas stated, “This is a great way for our First Nation youth to not only learn a bit more about safety measures for COVID-19 but also how they can become advocates to keep those who have since received the vaccine safe as well. The Assembly is especially keen to ensure that the prizes are also something that youth can use to enhance their learning options with the latest technology.”
“In such a challenging year for everyone, I cannot wait to see the high level of creativity, humour and intelligence I know our First Nation youth have. I look forward to watching each entry that we will feature on our official AMC Facebook page and later send to a panel of COVID-19 doctors and advocates on our First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team (PRCT) to select a winner. We’d love our youth to show us anything and everything to make the scripts more creative. Do you play an instrument? Do you dance? Do you sing? We’d like to see it all incorporated into your video submissions. This is your time to shine!”
“This is an excellent initiative to engage First Nation youth to get involved in learning more about COVID-19. I’m sure there is a touch of information fatigue that has set in and this is an excellent way to get youth involved with their creative abilities to spread messages of safe practices and not COVID-19. Peer to peer messaging is a critical public health tool, and whether it’s artistic expression, language reclamation, or actions to protect our lands and waters we have seen how powerful the voices of our youth are. This also gets out a very strong message to all First Nations citizens that while the weather warms up and we all want to see each other again, that we still have to follow the public health measures to keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe,” Dr. Marcia Anderson, PRCT Lead.