Pittsburgh Neighborhood Academy Contestants Win Prizes in “On 2nd Thought” Youth Violence Prevention Essay Contest

May 21, 2015

Black Women for Positive Change (BW4PC), a national, volunteer civic organization recently
sponsored the first-ever “On 2nd Thought” Essay Contest at the Neighborhood Academy, in Pittsburgh,
PA. High school juniors and seniors wrote original essays to compete for prizes based on “On 2nd
Thought,” a youth violence prevention film produced by BW4PC.

On Wednesday, May 20, 2015, cash prizes and certificates were presented to students, at the
Neighborhood Academy, by Diane Powell, Essay Contest Chair and Latara Jones, Essay Contest
Coordinator. Winners of the Essay Contest are: First Place: Cydney J.C. Francis–$150 cash prize;
Second Place: Brittany Williams–$100 cash prize; and Third Place: Derrick Clark–$ 50.00. “Over
the past 2 years, we have shown the ‘On 2nd Thought’ film to hundreds of youth in Pittsburgh, to
encourage discussion about violence prevention. We’re glad students at the Neighborhood Academy
competed in the Essay Competition and shared their thoughts about the film’s message. We appreciate
the support of the Academy and their teacher, Jennifer Kane,” said Diane Powell, Outreach Co-Chair,
BW4PC East Coast Region.

In a joint statement BW4PC National Co-Chairs Dr. Stephanie Myers and Virginia Delegate Daun S.
Hester said, “We believe it is important to help young people understand they should think twice
and have “2nd Thoughts” before engaging in violence. BW4PC is producing socially responsible media
tools for schools, civic organizations and local governments to help youth learn how to weigh
options before engaging in violence and ruining their lives, and the lives of others.”

“On 2nd Thought” and other Social Media tools are available for purchase  at:
http://www.blackwomenforpositivechange.org/socially-responsible-media/ For interviews with Essay
Contest student winners contact Diane Powell, BW4PC Co-Chair of Outreach East Coast,
Bkwomen4poschange@gmail.com or call 202-327-4301. Photos attached.
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Black Women for Positive Change
Preserving and Strengthening the Middle/Working Class “Changing the Culture of Violence in America”
1220 L. Street, NW, #100‐181, Washington, DC 20005; Fax 202‐403‐3743 Bkwomen4poschange@gmail.com;
www.blackwomenforpositivechange.org

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