April 16, 1999
Journalism student from campuses
throughout the Sweetwater Union High School District gathered
information about the dangers of cross-border drinking and driving
during a press conference hosted by community agencies promoting
safe, healthy lifestyles.
The event gave over 50 young reporters and photographers a first-hand experience in covering a news media briefing, and helped them prepare stories for their high school newspaper.
Teachers and school officials say the articles that students publish will highlight the risks that minors run when they drive under the influence—particularly on a visit to Tijuana for a night of partying.
"Campus newspapers are one more way to help spread the word," said Wes Braddock, Sweetwater's safe schools coordinator. "Involving student reporters gives them a role in sharing the message with large numbers of their peers."
Speakers included representatives from the National City and Tijuana police departments, the Institute for Health Advocacy's Cross-Border Project, and San Diego State University's "Student-to-Student" program.
Students also heard hard-hitting stories from a Paradise Valley Hospital physician, who described emergency-room cases and the difficulty of having to inform parents that their son or daughter has been injured or killed in a drunk driving accident.
The event —hosted by the Sweetwater district, the Chula Vista Youth Coalition, the Institute for Health Advocacy, and Paradise Valley Hospital's South Bay Partnership for Prevention program—supported ongoing community efforts to educate teens about substance-abuse prevention and responsible behavior.
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