Safe+Rides

 · Our goal is to receive the support of the NK School Committee in order to initiate the Safe Rides program at North Kingstown High School. We also hope to gain the support of community members.  · In our plan for direct action, we will gather the maximum number of supporters to join us in attending a school committee meeting. There, we will display signs wherever available (primarily the back of the school auditorium). Two community members who strongly support the program will speak to the school committee with prepared speeches that highlight the benefits of the program.
 * Planning Direct Action **

· This will make it clear to the school committee that the program must at least be considered, and that there are members of the community who support the enactment of the Safe Rides program.  ** Lobbying Plan ** ** Statement on your project: ** Safe Rides is a student-run, volunteer based program which provides a free, confidential taxi service to North Kingstown High School Students in order to reduce the instances of teenage drunk driving and related accidents.  ** Timeline: ** A) We will send the proposal to the North Kingstown School Committee on December 23, 2010. We will focus on Kimberly Page, Vice Chairperson. B) We will follow up on January 5, 2010 to ask if she has received our proposal and what she thought about it. C) We will call or e-mail her, and maybe schedule a meeting. If she is not receptive to our plan, we will redirect our focus to either Richard Welch (Chairperson) or Lynda Avanzato.     ** Find a sponsor (State Rep, Town Council, or School Committee):  **  We will focus on Kimberly Page, Vice Chairperson of the North Kingstown School Committee.   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">   ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">Build coalitions of support:   **  <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">We will contact MADD and SADD in an effort to gain public support. Aside from School Committee members and members of the community, we will focus on groups as they present themselves.   <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">Try to work with your opposition: ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">A) There are no opposing groups that we are aware of, as it is difficult to build an argument against stopping teenage drunk driving. B) However, there may be members of the community that simply do not support our plan, in which case we will try to address the areas of concern as best as possible in press conferences and other media outlets. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">Plan for attending committee meetings: ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif';">A) Safe Rides will greatly reduce the amount of teenage drunk driving as well as the damage to both lives and property that come as a result of it. Providing students with an alternative to getting in a car (either while intoxicated or with someone else who is) will teach them that driving drunk is // never // the right choice. B) Fellow students who support the bill will be present at the back of the meeting with low-key signs, only to voice support. However, signs will be put outside the area of the meeting to advertise the topic of discussion. ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 22pt;"> Problem Statement ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> It’s difficult to argue against a world where teenage drunk driving accidents hardly ever occur; too many lives are lost each year, too much damage done, all because of a preventable cause. If the problem resides in the idea that a student will drive while under the influence (or get into the car of someone else who has been drinking), mainly because of no other alternatives, then would it not stand to reason that if an alternative were presented, the issue would decrease dramatically? Safe Rides is a student-run, volunteer based program that provides a free, confidential taxi service to other students on Friday and Saturday nights. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 22pt;"> Public Service Announcement ** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">

(// TV Commercial; opens with a mother sitting in her living room, clearly having an interview with an off-screen reporter) //


 * Mother **: My Chris is an Eagle Scout. We talk about everything- his first kiss, his school work, even his future. I know he would never make the choice to drink and drive.

(// Cut to a teenager, Chris, at a party, stumbling into the driver’s seat of his car and attempting to put the keys in the ignition //)


 * Mother **: I would have never thought he would have made that decision.


 * Voice-over **: The problem starts when kids are drinking and they get in the car. With Safe Rides, they have a choice. Show your support by attending the next North Kingstown School Committee meeting. Visit our website for more information at www.nkdemocracyproject.wikispaces.com, or by e-mailing us at SafeRidesNK@yahoo.com.

(// On screen during voice-over is photos of Chris [a real student], shots of the mother looking upset; finally text at the bottom of the screen with the website and e-mail of Safe Rides North Kingstown //)


 * Mother **: I wish Chris would have had another option so he could still be with me.

**<span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 22pt; line-height: 115%;">Press Release ** **Safe Rides Program at North Kingstown High School** <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">NKHS Students want to create a safer system to ensure that their friends are not getting behind the wheel while intoxicated. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> North Kingstown, RI- Many teenagers are making the wrong decision by driving home after they have been heavily drinking. Drunk driving can not only cause damage to oneself, but can cause damage to public and private property. NKHS Students Kristine Taylor and Hannah Walker have come up with a system to try and prevent more teenaged drunk driving incidents by creating a Safe Rides program at North Kingstown High School. Safe Rides is a confidential student taxi service to reduce drunk-driving related incidents. We will be attending the __North Kingstown School Committee meeting on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 7pm__ in order to gain support for the creation of a Safe Rides program at NKHS. “Safe Rides is a student run taxi service that other students can use as an alternative to getting behind the wheel after they have been drinking,” states Kristine Taylor, a student at NKHS. “Personally, I think any life lost is one too many, and we’ve come up with a solution to keep North Kingstown students safe.” Students will be able to call the designated Safe Rides number any time between 9PM and 1AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and within a reasonable amount of time two other students (who were residing at the Safe Rides headquarters, which will be at North Kingstown High School) will arrive to transport the student to their home. The ride is completely confidential, as the driving students will sign a prearranged contract. Each eligible student will have to complete a certain number of hours as a Safe Rides driver, all of which will be considered volunteer hours. “From having to deal with drunk-driving related deaths, I know firsthand how tragic and sad these situations can be,” explains Hannah Walker another student at NKHS. “I hope that we can create this Safe Rides program because it will make it less stressful <span style="font-family: 'Cambria Math','serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Contact: Kristine Taylor or Hannah Walker SafeRidesNK@yahoo.com