The red carpet was rolled out for a group of Aberdeen school pupils at a city centre cinema yesterday for the premiere of a special film they created about the dangers of drugs.
Youngsters from Harlaw Academy worked with the police, the Aberdeen FC Community Trust, the charity Alcohol and Drugs Action and the Station House Media Unit to put together a fictional movie about a pupil from their school who learned the consequences of substance abuse.
The second year pupils worked for weeks to film the seven minute video and learned all about the risks that can be posed by taking illegal drugs, as well as practical skills like video editing.
It is hoped the short film will be used to encourage children in schools across the city to make the right life choices and build the confidence to say no.
Reece Main, 13, played one of the characters in the piece, a dealer who tempts a Harlaw pupil to try something she shouldn’t, despite her friend’s warnings.
He said: “It was a really fun project to do and we learned a lot about what can happen to you if you take drugs.
“It was a lot of hard work but we all worked really hard on it together. I hope it can help others find out about the dangers.”
West End community policing team Inspector David Cowie said he was happy the youngsters had shown such a keen interested in highlighting the problems caused by drugs.
He said: “I’m hugely proud of these youngsters. The work they’re doing is so important.
“The police and the schools are always putting out the message to steer clear of drug use, but when it’s a message delivered by your peers, I think there’s a much greater chance of pupils listening to what’s being said and learning important lessons.
“If we can get a strong preventative message out to young people at this important point in their lives and help them to understand what can happen if you misuse substances like alcohol, drugs and tobacco, it can really make a big difference for the kids, local police teams and the local community.”
