The Office of Gov. Gary R. Herbert and the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice invites seventh and eighth grade students to participate in the sixteenth annual Do the Write Thing Challenge to stop youth violence in homes, schools and neighborhoods.
The challenge offers students across the state an opportunity to examine the impact of youth violence in their lives and submit an essay on their thoughts to resolve the issue of cultural violence. The campaign emphasizes personal responsibility by encouraging students to make a commitment to do something about the problem.
Last year’s challenge involved more than 2,000 students, who participated in classroom discussions about youth violence, with more than 1,000 submitting essays from seven school districts and 10 different schools.
The deadline for entries is Dec. 10, 2015. One boy and one girl will be selected, along with their teacher and parent, to represent Utah at the National Recognition Week in Washington D.C. in July 2016. Top essays will be published and placed in the Library of Congress. Additionally, all contest finalists, honorable mentions, their teachers and parents will be invited to attend a recognition luncheon where the top two authors will be announced next April.
Teachers are encouraged to incorporate the Do the Write Thing Challengein their classroom curriculum. Lesson plans may be found on the Board of Juvenile Justice’s website, www.juvenile.utah.gov.
For more information including rules and entry forms visit www.juvenile.utah.gov.
