Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Wednesday, July 16th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Al Khajah, Deputy Director of Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department at the General Secretariat of the Office of H.H Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior honored the winners of the creative competition that was a part of the “They Fooled Me” campaign. The competition, held through social networking sites, asked participants to write advice, design posters, or create a video that expresses the contents and objectives of the campaign. In recognition of their participation in the high-profile campaign, the winners received cash prize incentives.

During the ceremony that was held today, Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Al Khajah hailed the creative efforts of the youth and their constructive participation in the campaign. This participation emphasizes the ministry’s keenness to involve different sectors of the community in order to raise awareness about the scourge of drugs and its dangerous and destructive effects on users and all members of society.

The winners expressed their happiness in winning. The winner of the Video Award, Manea Rashid Al Saridi, an employee and student at the University of Ajman, described his video by noting that he was the lead actor in the short film that was specifically made to open the eyes of the youth to the harms of drug use and that bad company leads to addiction. He pointed out that the main goal was to raise awareness for youth by highlighting the terrifying consequences of these dishonorable behaviors. He also said, “This is the first time I’ve ever acted in a lead-role, and I never expected to win amongst such a large number of participants.”

The film director, Jasim Mohamed Salem Al Asam, a university student and an employee of one of the governmental departments said that the 15-second-long video was made by a group of students who pitched their ideas, according to the conditions of the competition, and the idea they chose won the prize. The idea of the video corresponds with the Ministry of Interior’s “They Fooled Me” campaign. The film revolves around a young man who meets bad company, and by the end of the video loses his children, his home, and his future.

Eidha Al Ameri, an employee on behalf of his brother, Mansour Eidha Al Ameri, a high school student and winner of the Advice Award, stated that his brother always participates in all of the competitions that involve calling upon the youth to stay away from bad company and drug abuse. The winning advice given to the youth was done via Twitter, which stated, “Be the support of your family and the pride of your country…. No to drugs.”

Khaled Al Jaberi, engineer, cartoonist and winner of the Best Poster Award, said that his idea is centered on an adolescent who gave his mind to the drug dealer to control. Experiences have shown that all drug dealers control the minds of drug addicts and take away their liberties, and such behavior is considered a form of slavery.

In the same context, Samer Salim Al Hamid, an employee and winner of the Brochure Award, said he succeeded in  his work by providing advice that urges young people to stay away from bad company, and to remove such ‘friends’ from their life. He pointed out that he follows all of the ministry’s campaigns and is willing to volunteer in all awareness campaigns, especially because youth need more awareness about how the dangers of drugs and keeping bad company can lead them to a tragic end.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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