Welcome to Scenarios USA's Newsletter. This Newsletter provides you with updates on what's happening at Scenarios USA. Pass it on.

What's the Real Deal? Contest in Texas and Florida

IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, SCENARIOS USA LAUNCHED THE ANNUAL What's the Real Deal? CONTEST IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. ONE STORY FROM EACH REGION WILL BE SELECTED TO BE MADE INTO A SHORT FILM. DIRECTORS PATRICIA CARDOSO [REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES] AND JAMIE BABBIT [ BUT, I’M A CHEERLEADER] ARE SET TO DIRECT THE WINNING STORIES. THE CONTEST WAS KICKED OFF WITH WORKSHOPS SPONSORED BY THE MIAMI-DADE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY. SCENARIOS’ MASTER TEACHERS - TIM FLAY AND GARY GRAFF OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND GILBERT ZEPEDA AND JACKIE CHRISTENSEN OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY - DEMONSTRATED TO NEARLY 150 EDUCATORS HOW TO INCORPORATE THE CONTEST INTO THEIR COURSEWORK. WE EXPECT A RECORD NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS. [IF HALF OF THESE TEACHERS OFFER THE SCENARIOS CONTEST TO A CLASS OF 20 STUDENTS, THAT’S 1,500 TEENS THINKING ABOUT AND CONTRIBUTING THEIR VIEWS ON TEENAGE SEXUALITY.]

The deadline for contest submissions is Dec. 10th, 2003. The contest is open to youth between the ages of 12 and 22 in Miami-Dade County, Florida and the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. The What's the Real Deal? Contest will launch in NYC in January 2004.

Click Here if you are an educator or community group interested in using the Scenarios USA Contest – includes FAQ, a Teachers Guide and youth brochure. At this time, we can only consider submissions from South Texas and Miami-Dade County. Educators outside of these regions are welcome to use the materials.

Click Here for general information on the contest and how to submit an entry.

Five Film Compilation - New

Salon.com dubbed the Scenarios USA films "...without a doubt the hippest, best-edited, most entertaining sex ed videos ever made. The movies are relevant because the scripts are written by teens for teens." [2/14/03]

Ask the 500 community groups, schools, health organizations and after-school programs that already use the Scenarios films and they will say that the films are valuable tools that help generate meaningful discussion around sexual health. This is why Scenarios has recently created a Five Film Compilation which includes the latest winning films (Just Like You Imagined?, Today I Found Out, From an Objective Point of View, Lipstick and Choices: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) on one tape. This should help to lighten your load and your cost. To throw in an added bonus, each film now comes accompanied by Discussion Questions.

Click here to watch the Films.
Click here to view the Discussion Questions.
Click here to order the films.

October Highlights

• Scenarios films Choices, From an Objective Point of View and Lipstick screened at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. Lipstick writer, Sophia Tavernakis, participated in Q&A after the screening.
• Scenarios partnered with the American School Health Association (ASHA) at their annual conference in El Paso, Texas to present the Scenarios program as an emerging Sexual Education Program. Scenarios staff and conference participants explored the importance of connecting with youth culture in sexual education.
• Samantha Hernandez, writer of Today I Found Out, was recognized by the Mayor of Laredo, Texas at a city council meeting for her contribution to raising awareness of issues related to teen pregnancy. In attendance were her peers, teachers, school officials, her family and city dignitaries. Click here to view complete article.
• Scenarios films Just Like You Imagined? and Lipstick were awarded the Highest Recommendation from Educational Media Review Online. Read the EMRO Review for Just Like You Imagined? and Lipstick.