The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the DEA Educational Foundation, and Discovery Education named Olivia Humphries, a student at McIntosh County Academy in Darien, Ga., a top 10 national finalist in the 2019 Operation Prevention Video Challenge. The third annual Operation Prevention Video Challenge – a peer-to-peer platform for communicating messages about the dangers of opioid misuse – invites educators, students, teen advocates, and communities to vote for the People’s Choice winner through April 25, 2019.

“Educators, families and community leaders must work together to help stem the opioid epidemic and DEA is proud to work alongside Discovery Education to encourage life-saving conversations about drug-free living through ‘Operation Prevention,’” said Sean Fearns, chief of community outreach, DEA. “We’re excited to continue engaging youth in the 2019 ‘Operation Prevention Video Challenge’ because we have seen first-hand the positive impacts of active and direct engagement with students across the country.”

An extension of Discovery Education and the DEA’s Operation Prevention program, the video challenge encourages teens to create a 30-60 second original public service announcement that alerts other students about the dangers of prescription opioid misuse and heroin use. Overall, the challenge aims to inspire teens to research the opioid epidemic, identify its widespread impact on the country and the substances’ harmful effects on the body and start a social movement that encourages authentic dialogue about this critical issue. Operation Prevention resources are available at no-cost at operationprevention.com and within Discovery Education Streaming Plus, an award-winning comprehensive digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas. 

“‘Operation Prevention’ is an incredible program to have as a resource at a time when prescription opioid misuse and heroin use have reached epidemic levels in the United States,” said Rodney Crouse, Guilford County Schools educator from Trinity, North Carolina. “The program helps me educate my students about the science behind addiction and its impact on the brain and body. And more importantly, the initiative helps our community promote lifesaving discussions from our neighborhood corners to our classrooms.”

Humphries’ video has now been uploaded to operationprevention.com for a public vote to determine the People’s Choice winner. Monetary prizes for the top three student winners will be provided by the DEA Educational Foundation. The grand prize will be granted a trip for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of DEA agent training at the DEA’s Training Academy in Quantico, Va. Several other prize winners will also be chosen by a panel of judges from Discovery Education, the DEA, and the DEA Educational Foundation, as well as community leaders, educators and communications experts. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000, the second-place winner will receive $5,000 and the third-place winner will receive $1,000. Winning PSAs will also be featured on-air, and across Discovery Education and DEA digital platforms.trict, was one of the hundreds of original submissions the challenge received. 

Vote for the 3rd Annual Video Challenge winner from April 11, 2019, at 5:00 p.m., through April 25, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. ET, online at operationprevention.com. United States high school students, ages 13 and older, can vote and learn more about the Operation Prevention at operationprevention.com.

“Youth connecting with their peers is one of the most impactful ways to combat the dangers of opioid abuse. Because teens are all navigating the same world of feeling immortal yet fragile, while experiencing fascination and facing peer pressure, they are able to engage in authentic exchanges that resonate well with each other,” said Jill L. Roberts, senior vice president, DEA Educational Foundation. “Teens understand the mindset of their peers and create the most thought-provoking narratives to highlight the ultimate risks of falling victim drug misuse and abuse.”

Watch Olivia Humphries’ video submission, “Opioids: The Real Horror Story.” Vote vote for the People’s Choice winner here.

Operation Prevention is a nationwide program that educates students about the science behind addiction, and its impact on the brain and body. Standards-aligned Operation Prevention interactive resources help promote lifesaving discussions in the home and classroom. Program resources are accessible for free online and also through Discovery Education Streaming Plus.