The APB Foundation is hitting the road to spread awareness on the consequences of distracted driving, #BecauseAnthony!
Team APB has been hard at work, preparing for the 2016 Leadership Academy, held in St. Petersburg, Florida from June 13th-16th. The 3-day conference is hosted by the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition, and Florida SADD. For the second year in a row, Demetrius Branca will share Anthony's Story to 60+ teen leaders from all over the state of Florida. Upon leaving the conference, teens will be tasked with preforming a traffic-safety project at their home school, using the information they learned during the Leadership Academy.
As part of the "content & activities" planning committee, the APB Foundation has helped organize the agenda, plan traffic-safety activities, and develop team-building exercises that will entice the teens to create long lasting relationships with their peers. During this process, we got to thinking...
If there was one game Anthony never passed up, it was Color War...
So, as a fun twist during this year's Leadership Academy, we'll be holding a Color War of Anthony-level-epic-proportions. Activities that are planned for the teens will be tied into the color war and a digital scavenger hunt has been created through Goose Chase to offer up fun riddles and traffic-safety facts based on presentations. We cannot lie when we say: We're excited!
You may be asking yourself: "But, how will you tell the color war teams apart?!?"
We're SO glad you asked...
Perhaps some sort of paisley-printed cloth novelty...?
APB has decreed - BANDANAS for ALL!!
This image was taken during last year's 2015 Leadership Academy. After hearing APB's presentation, audience member's joined the #BandanaArmy to help end distracted driving.
The conference will include a broad range of traffic-safety presentations from major organizations to grassroots foundations, like APB.
Presenters include:
- Matt Nasworthy, AAA - How to Be a Good Passenger
- Jose Soto, State Farm - Tips on Selecting, Financing, and Insuring your First Vehicle
- Demetrius Branca, APB Foundation - Distracted Driving
- Melanie Coppola, Live Like Cole Foundation - Live Like Cole
- Tristan Nunez, Dnt Txt n Drv Foundation - Distracted Driving
- Corporal Scott Parker, Live Free - Drunk, Drugged, and Drowsy Driving
- Ed Narain, Florida House of Representatives - How to Engage your Community and Elected Officials in Activism
- Lorisse Garcia, Always Wear Your Seatbelt Foundation - Buckle up, for Laura & Eddie
- Police Chief Art Bodenheimer, Lake Alfred Police Department - Safety Check Activity
- Sgt. Michael Kenyan, Manatee County Sheriff's Office - Air Bag Demonstration
- Dr. Karen Macauley, All Children's Hospital - Mechanisms of Injury
- Dekova Batey, City of Gainesville Public Works - Pedestrian & Bike Safety
- Dianna Quay & Linda Gaddis, Cape Coral/Vero Beach High School - How to Develop a Successful Road Safety Project
At the conclusion of the the conference, the teens will take part in a Shark Tank style game to put their knowledge to the test and overcome any objections they may face when they approach their school about a traffic-safety project.
The goal is to educate the teens on traffic-safety issues, compel them to make smart decisions while behind the wheel, help them plan a safety project, and think critically about what will be needed to execute the project at their school.
We'll be sure to keep you posted as things progress!