Using art to raise awareness
Every year many children are reported missing; while some cases have positive outcomes, others do not turn out as well. It is no surprise that this is a serious issue that plagues every country around the world. As the guardians of our children, it is up to us to ensure their safety. In an effort to raise awareness about missing children and keeping all children safe, the U.S. Department of Justice, through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) coordinates a national poster contest for fifth grade students. The poster contest is designed to increase awareness about child abduction, remember the children that have been abducted, and provide an opportunity for communities to engage in educational discussions on safety and prevention.
The theme for the poster contest is “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” Participating students are to create a poster that reflects the theme and complete an application describing their poster and the importance of collaboration in bringing missing children home. Each state hosts its own poster competition, and the winning poster from each state is submitted by the state manager (or the organization responsible for overseeing the poster contest in that state) to OJJDP for selection of the national winner. For more information about your state’s contest, please contact your state manager at http://mecptraining.org/poster-contest/state-contest-managers/.
The winner of the national contest, along with their teacher and parents, will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C. The national winner will be honored at DOJ’s annual Missing Children’s Day ceremony. For more information about the contest and how to participate, please visit, www.mecptraining.org/poster-contest.
On behalf of DOJ, participation from Maine is highly encouraged! If you have any questions feel free to view our website at www.mecptraining.org or email mc.day@fvtc.edu.
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