A Powerful New Educational Tool Filmmaker Mario Coldshot is a self-described non-stereotypical 47 year old man who left behind 22 years of experience in the audio-visual industry to pursue his dream of taking part in the fight to keep kids off drugs. For the past year and a half, Coldshot travelled through Montreal, New York and Los Angeles in his quest to document those negatively affected by drugs. Following his humanitarian vision into places where other filmmakers may have lost their nerve-alleyways, ghettoes, crackhouses and wherever else drugs had left their horrible mark-Coldshot's unique filming technique found him rollerblading through some of the most dangerous urban environments with nothing but enthusiasm and a camera. He did not approach his subjects as a documentarian, but as a friend, not condemning them, instead trying to understand how drugs took hold of their lives. As members of an isolated faction in an already isolated generation, they were eager to tell their stories. The footage is sometimes shocking and always real. It will be supervised by the Film Advisory Board and is acceptable for only those above 14 years. In addition to the documentary footage, the film is book-ended by a small fictional storyline. A child dreams of when he will be a teen and able to attend parties. This dream soon becomes a nightmare when a malicious drug dealer enters the party, tempting him and his friends with drugs. Will he make the right decision? Perhaps, if he had the knowledge provided by the documentary portion of the movie. So, the film cuts to the footage Mario collected of drug victims before returning once more to the child as he wakes up from his dream, now armed with the tools to prevent drug use. The film speaks to teens in their own dialect, includes music from bands they listen to and is told at the fast-pace that they are used to. Just as the real-life drug victims were eager to tell their stories, so too will real-life teens will be eager to hear these stories from members of their generation, people they can identify with, who have lost it all to drugs. Marriages ruined because of cocaine. Mothers abandoning families to follow their addiction to a different city. Teenagers escaping the world through a hit of a crack pipe. The film shows teens as they really are, and how they want to be seen. A Possible Solution to a Definite Problem Teens are frequently tuned out by their elders. Their culture and their problems are ignored. Adults, to them, simply act as authority figures. Look at it from their perspective: they're always being told what to do. Clean up your room. Do your homework. Be home by midnight. And, of course, don't do drugs. Often, teenagers rebel. Rooms stay messy. Homework remains undone. Curfews are broken. Drugs are taken. Being told what to do by an authority figure does not always work. Adults are their parents, their teachers, their doctors and police officers-they are not one of their own. Each generation arrives with innovation and energy. They have their own beat, one which the older generation frequently does not understand. They watch different television shows and play video games, such as Grand Theft Auto in which the drug dealers are the heroes. . They do not blink twice at Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics stickers on their favourite albums. A more suitable drug prevention tactic is needed, one that does not simply tell kids what to do, but speaks in their own voice, sending the message from teens to other teens and lets them make the right decision on their own. This is what the Mario Coldshot Foundation's powerful new educational tool BYOB (Bring Your Own Brains) does. Previous anti-drug campaigns, like the 'This is your brain on drugs" egg-smashing commercial in the 90s, have aimed at scaring teens into abstaining. If you do drugs, your brain will look like a fried egg, they've said. BYOB takes a different approach. It is not solely an anti-drug campaign, focusing on the negative effects drugs could have on a life. This documentary is a pro-awareness campaign, documenting real life effects drugs have had on real life lives. BYOB puts the decision not to do drugs in teen's hands. Its unpatronizing presentation empowers teens into making their own choice. The Future of BYOB The film will become the eventual centre-piece to a veritable drug-aware community of youths. We will premiere the film at particularly at-risk schools and take "reaction footage" of the students as they exit the film. This footage will eventually be edited into the credits of the film itself. Skateboard & BMX Competitions We will be launching a skateboard and BMX competition under the banner of BYOB and in partnership with Jagger Co. Extreme Sports . The competition could serve as a beacon of respectability for adults who frequently dismiss this subculture of youth as troublemakers (and even drug users). For the youth involved it will be a place where they can feel comfortable, drug-free, and take part in an active sport, promoting a healthy lifestyle. This competition will take to the road alongside the film, visiting schools and spreading the word about staying drug free. The Website This website will undergo a major overhaul, moving from a promotion for the documentary, to being an online hub for teens.