The Insitute of Transportation Engineers is honored to support the sixth annual Global Youth Traffic Safety Month (GYTSM) campaign in May 2012. If your District, Section or Chapter does outreach with local highschools, this may be a great activity to engage in as well as an opportunity to win resources for the school. If you plan to participate, let us at ITE HQ know. Leave a comment here.
Gobal Youth Traffic Safety Month is dedicated to empowering and engaging youth in peer-to-peer traffic safety education efforts, advocating for increased enforcement, and supporting laws that protect our youth as they travel on our nation's highways. May is a significant month to focus on teen safe driving – it’s a time when prom, graduation, and summer vacation are all gearing up and statistically begins the most dangerous time on the road for young drivers.
As part of GYTSM, thousands of teens across the country will lead traffic safety efforts and compete for prizes and recognition for their efforts through the Act Out Loud, Project Yellow Light and YOUTH-Turn it around contests.
In the coming months, the National Organization for Youth Safety® (NOYS) will offer a variety of opportunities designed to raise awareness around GYTSM. A few of the tools and programs include:
- Promoting the Global Youth Traffic Safety Month Project Toolkit, a PDF document which is now available, to help youth develop project ideas.
- Promoting Act Out Loud: Acting Out Loud for Stronger Teen Driving Laws, a national teen- and school-led activism competition to help spread the word about safe teen driving. Teams have the opportunity to win up to $10,000 from The Allstate Foundation, a concert from rising musical artist Skyler and a Channel One News taping from their school! Visit www.ActOutLoud.org for more information.
- Developing a PSA that will be available for use during this campaign as part of the Project Yellow Light PSA contest.
- Working with many new partners to increase awareness about the risks of teen driving and what can be done to protect our youth.
Those are just some of the tactics planned for the 2012 GYTSM. Many activities are still being developed. Your support is needed to help spread the word and encourage participation from youth in your network of members, colleagues, and friends. We need youth and adult leaders across the country to actively plan and participate in these events and make some NOYS about youth traffic safety.
As Global Youth Traffic Safety Month approaches, ITE and NOYS are asking for your support. We know you’re busy, but your commitment can be as grand or as small as your time and resources will allow. Any effort or work you are able to contribute to the campaign will be recognized on the Global Youth Traffic Safety Month website and in press events as well as the local work performed by youth all across the country.
There are a host of materials available through NOYS to help you promote Global Youth Traffic Safety Month 2012, including:
- A web link, button, or banner
- A letter (like this one!) you can send to your network or membership – under your leadership’s signature
- A letter you can send to your network or membership – co-signed with a leader from NOYS
- An article for placement on a website, newsletter, or listserv
- An ad you can place in your publication
- Materials to distribute at meetings or conferences
- A sample press release
On behalf of ITE and NOYS, thank you for your assistance in helping teens raise their voices for safe teen driving.