By Jill Sperling

Students of Kamloops School of the Arts create PSAs for End Gang Life

Apr 26, 2018 | 4:34 PM

KAMLOOPS — The anti-gang initiative End Gang Life has been producing public service videos since 2013. 

Now, for the first time ever, students have directed, filmed, and acted in four videos for the End Gang Life campaign. 

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) chose the Kamloops School of the Arts to take on the project, utilizing the skills of its drama and media arts students. 

The four new public service announcement videos provide powerful messaging about the potential consequences facing those who choose to join a gang. 

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“It’s all about working with the kids, the kids spreading that message, it’s an important message,” said Sgt. Brenda Winpenny, media relations with CFSEU-BC. “We’re passionate about kids making smart choices and avoiding going down that path of gangs and gang lifestyle.” 

CFSEU-BC members attended an assembly at the school Thursday to unveil the finished product. Dozens of students worked on the videos, which took months to plan and produce. 

“It was kind of difficult, it was really, really good though,” explained 10th Grade student Sydney Ramage. “It was a new experience, so I definitely had to learn some things.” 

Ramage took on the roles of director, videographer, and editor. 

Her work is now viewable on the CFSEU-BC website and social media channels. 

“I’m kind of nervous, really happy though,” she said. “I’m glad that it’s gone this far, because I really didn’t expect that in the beginning.”

For the brain behind the End Gang Life campaign, Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton, having a Kamloops school behind the videos is extra special. 

“We have a lot of different programs that we help other police agencies run in the province of BC, but this one here today is probably the most special to me,” Houghton said. “Being from Kamloops myself, it’s always great to come back to my hometown and work with kids and inspire kids to create good messages.” 

Houghton says more than a dozen videos have been produced for the End Gang Life campaign since its inception and he has seen many lives changed through their messaging. 

“We know that these work, we know that these messages can be very powerful and impactful, and what’s more meaningful to us isn’t necessarily the videos that we create, that we think that kids, that families want to hear, which are all based on true stories here in British Columbia, but the ones created and shown today made by youth, they know what’s happening in their peer groups, and they’re going to be the ones to make that conscious change in the future.”