Can “The People” Really Stop the Spread of Methamphetamine? Oh Yeah!
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BAY CITY, WI- June 24, 2007-A grassroots campaign is just beginning; one designed to stop methamphetamine with the help of local community youth, their talent and their love for the movies.

Methamphetamine is systematically sweeping across the United States from west to east ravaging families, communities and economies as it goes. Many people want to think it’s not “my problem.” Think again; meth affects everyone. A new study just revealed by the National Institute of Health shows meth use among US youth to be higher than previously expected. It’s a devastating drug that crosses the line for recreational use and it has to be stopped. Taproot, Inc. believes it can; on the grassroots level, by promoting the creative talent of every community’s youth. Taproot is sponsoring a National “Meth-Movie” contest opportunity for all students in all towns. All of these community movies will become part of a National Premiere in November.

According to Taproot CEO, Linda Flanders, “Communities can encourage their young people to get involved, use their talent and love of pop culture to jump in, and make a short movie.”  The final big national premiere is November 30th, the day all movie entries are shown in their own hometown for National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. Says Flanders, “This is everyone’s problem. It really is time to decide: do what’s right or do what’s easy. We’re offering another way to gain awareness, one that is entertaining, but more importantly, educates everyone about the dangers of methamphetamine.”

The rules of the movie making contest are simple: 1) Follow the researched script, 2) Film like a silent movie with action, gestures and expressions, 3) Add a narrator who tells the story, and 4) Showcase local music. Show the movie in town as part of National Methamphetamine Awareness Day on November 30th and send it to Taproot, Inc/Meth Movie, N1872 670th St. Bay City, WI 54723. Student filmmakers can win cash, Apple Computers, Final Cut professional editing software and a Panasonic DVX 100 camera. Communities can continue to use the movie in schools and community venues until everyone in town is educated. Says Flanders; “We want to offer an alternative to drugs and alcohol by engaging today’s youth in the excitement that movies and music offer; plus promote their creative skills with today’s digital technology.” Taproot’s Vice President, Dr. Dorothy Halla-Poe adds, “We also want to help young people learn to solve their own generation’s problems and become constructive activists in their own community.”

Research for the movie script came from affected families and experts throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. The structure of the movie script is based on The Movie Making Process©, a media arts learning process based on Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s work in early childhood development, Dr. Howard Gardner’s work on multiple intelligences and interests, Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’ work with functional learning and Ron Davis’ work with learning difficulties from the Davis Dyslexia Institute. “If you want someone to learn something, have them create it,” says Davis.

Taproot, Inc. was founded in 1997 to promote the use of the media arts for learning. They research and design short movie, song and stage play scripts into production templates that can be replicated. The “meth-movie” contest is open to all students, regardless of age. Movies are to be shown locally on November 30th and sent in by December 10, 2007. Prizes are awarded in February 2008.
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Shining light on the "Meth-edemic" - Aug. 2006 - The Ice Breaker Newsletter - Moms and Dads Against Meth
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BAY CITY, Wisconsin-October 25, 2006
There are those who would say that moviemaking is all illusion, smoke and mirrors.
One the other hand, there are film and stage productions that are all about education, awareness and hope. This is what Taproot's first full movie and stage production package is all about. And, it's replicable in your own hometown!

Not only are the film packages hopeful and educational, they are do-it-yourself project kits that can be performed, filmed, directed and acted by members of your own community. While project templates offer research, form and parameters, there's lot of room for individuality. "No two projects will look or sound exactly alike," says Linda Flanders, CEO of Taproot, Inc.

Founded by two sisters, Taproot, inc. specializes in education through the arts. They design new program models for education and awareness on vital grassroots issues that have global significance. These models include lesson plans, movies, music, music videos and one-act stage plays. Plus, you get the full script breakdown and project template for your own community to re-create their own version. Use bits and pieces of the project at local community meetings, or put all the pieces together for an entertaining and educational performance. "The Northern Lights is a new, innovative way to address the devastating problem of methamphetamine," says Flanders, "it's using the best of the artistic process to engage whole communities."

Fully researched and approved by experts, The Northern Lights is all about the dangers of methamphetamine. The full project comes packaged and ready to be used immediately in your own town. Hand off the script breakdowns to your local talent and in a few weeks you have your own personal version: Movie stars in your own hometown!
Says Flanders, "Methamphetamine has devastated communities in the west, south and Midwest. It's rapidly heading east. It has to be stopped. This is our mission."
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Local Students Help Make Anti-Meth Film - Printed in the Pierce County, Wisconsin Shopper on Nov. 14th, 2004
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Movie Reviewer for Pierce and St. Croix County, Wisconsin

I knew nothing about Methamphetamine before seeing "Crossing The Line," now I know enough to realize that this drug I only read about in the paper is probably the scariest and most deadly thing our children can be exposed to. I knew that there was a drug commonly called Meth that could be brewed from common household items. I knew that meth labs sometimes blew up. I knew that that homes where meth was made were hazardous sites. But I never knew what went into this drug or what it would do to someone who takes it.

...The film begins with the lead character being released from a six-month treatment center. As he waits for his friends to pick him up, he thinks back on the choices he made and what he has since learned about those choices. If I were to sum up this movie with one word, that word would be informative. The film does not use cheap tricks like showing gruesome images of people who have been long-term abusers of meth. Rather it appeals to the intelligence of young people by telling them the facts. It shows the dangerous poisons that are mixed together to make the drug. Poisons most young people would never think of ingesting because they know how deadly they can be. It tells about the toxic hazards of Meth labs and disposal sites. It also tells about the effects of taking the drug, such as health risks, the increased risk of suicide, the low success rate of permanently kicking the habit.

"Crossing The Line" doesn't try to scare people; it tries to educate them. Films that try to scare out children can backfire by giving them something to ridicule. Hard facts are much more difficult to make fun of, and that makes them much scarier and far more lasting. This is an excellent film to show teens who might be exposed to this hazard...