2023 Finalists
1st Place
Debunking Vaccine Myths, Wake Young Men's Leadership Academy
One of the major causes of vaccine hesitancy among a modern population is the widespread visibility of myths concerning the topic on social media. When people see misleading information on social media, the website can create an impression of consensus, even when the information could be false. A distinct minority of people online believe these myths wholeheartedly, which can cause societal challenges when they spread the ideas online. Anyone who sees vaccine misinformation could believe it and not get vaccinated for some diseases, which is why it’s an issue. While the root causes of this issue may point to a deeper societal challenge, it is important to remember that most vaccines are safe.
Vaccines: Safer than Ever
Misconception & Problem Statement:
"Vaccines cause diseases" is a misconception spread by anti-vaxxers. It is known that much of vaccine disinformation is spread by foreign actors. Studies indicate misinformation has an impact because people believe accusations that are unlikely (but also horrifying), because the awful consequences of such knowledge being true are ghastly. Ultimately vaccine hesitancy is a threat to the health and safety of many people, and our video dispels this myth.
Post Challenge Reflection
Our Team: Thomas Tripp, the tech man and editor; Pratit Saha, team lead; Oscar Updyke, writer and general operative; and Juan Cartagena, the director of our video, as well as a valuable team member for anything that needed to be done. We leveraged scholarly articles and lots of background research, as well as several sessions of brainstorming, to create effective tools to get a message across to our preferred audience. That done, we proceeded to create a video that we hope will inspire change.
2nd Place
The Dangers of Vaping in Teens, Cleveland Middle School
Teenagers who vape may unknowingly cause damage to their lungs and other organs. When young people vape, they are more likely to become lifelong smokers with addiction problems throughout life.
With the help of their school Media Coordinator, Josie Parrish, Orrin Lam, Mohammed Alam, and Olivia Tolentino plan to share their PSA with middle and high health teachers in their district. They also hope their families and friends will share their PSA via social media platforms. They hope to protect their community from the dangers of vaping.
Vaping
Misconceptions & Problem Statement:
Many teens and young people think that vaping is not harmful. The chemicals and drugs in vapes can cause damage to the brain in young people while the brain is still developing. Another big problem is the damage vaping can cause to the lungs. A drug, diacetyl, can cause popcorn lung. This is when the lungs become permanently scarred. Because vaping is still a relatively new thing, the long term effects have not been fully uncovered yet.
Post Challenge Reflection
Our Team: We have seen vaping and heard our peers talk about it at school. The majority of teens are not aware or worried about the damage that can be caused to their young bodies by the chemicals found in vapes or how easily they can become addicted to the nicotine in vapes. Many teens and young people claim that vaping is not really bad for you. Through our research, we learned the chemicals and drugs in vapes can cause damage to the brain while it is still developing. Another major problem we learned is the damage vaping can cause to the lungs. Because vaping is still a relatively new thing, the long term effects have not been fully uncovered yet.