Local group seek online support in film competition
A local youth group is appealing for public support for their entry into the Irish Cancer Society’s X-HALE Youth Awards.
The Gateway Youth Project, who are based in St Mary's Hall, Athlone have entered their film project ‘The Silent Killer’ into the awards and will rely on public support via online voting to win one of the top gongs.
The X-HALE Youth Awards will take place on Thursday, July 2 in the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield in Dublin. Over 41 youth groups from around the country will attend the ceremony to see their entry showcased on the big screen. X-HALE is an initiative of the Irish Cancer Society which engages young people to address the issue of smoking in their own communities and encourage their peers not to start smoking.
The youth groups involved are calling on the public to support their film entry as they compete for the online award which is decided by public vote. The groups will also compete under various other categories with winners selected by an independent judging panel comprising of people from the entertainment, film and healthcare industries. The X-HALE Youth Awards is the culmination of months of hard work by the youth groups in creating their films from scratch.
Marie-Louise Neary, Cancer Prevention Officer at the Irish Cancer Society said: “The film entry from Athlone is very strong and effectively conveys some really important messages around the issue of smoking. The youth group has developed these films themselves - from filming, editing and producing to scriptwriting and acting, they have delivered impressive results in the form of film projects which will be showcased at the X-HALE Youth Awards in a few weeks”.
“They have raised some tough questions of the tobacco industry and have sent a clear signal to them that their generation will be smoke-free. We would like to wish all the youth groups involved the best of luck ahead of the national event in July. If you want to see your local group win an award then offer them support by voting for their entry online!”
The 2015 X-HALE Youth Award entries are now up on the Irish Cancer Society’s website at www.cancer.ie/xhale2015 and can be viewed and voted on until June 26. The entry with the most views online will win the online award as well as €200 worth of digital equipment for their youth centre.
Follow the X-HALE conversation on Twitter using the # thexgeneration or go to the Facebook Page www.facebook.com/xhale .For further information on the X-HALE Youth Awards, visit www.cancer.ie/xhale2015.