FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Stratford – Families are invited to a free outdoor family movie night on Friday, July 14, at Stratford Education and Recreation Centre (SERC) in Stratford (at Matilda and Oakdale Avenues)!
Games and activities, such as button making and a photo booth, will start at 7:30 pm. The movie, Trolls, will start at dusk (about 8:45pm). Free popcorn will be handed out (while supplies last).
The outdoor movie night event is taking place to educate parents about the health risks smoking in movies can have on children and teens. “The smoking shown in movies happens at a much higher rate than it does in reality, and many of those films are rated for children and youth,” says Lyndsay O’Donnell, Public Health Promoter. “And we know that when kids see tobacco use on-screen, it increases the chance they’ll start to smoke.”
In the past ten years, 86% of movies with smoking were rated for kids and teens. In Ontario, smoking and tobacco content are not currently considered when assigning movie ratings. “To protect our children and teens and to prevent a new generation of smokers, we are asking the government to change the rating system so that all future movies that contain tobacco use would be rated 18A,” explains O’Donnell. She adds, “Parents can show their support for this rating change by visiting smokefreemovies.ca and sending an automated letter to their MPP. It’s easy, takes less than a minute and makes a difference.”
The outdoor movie night is being hosted by the Perth District Health Unit, the THINK team, and the City of Stratford.
The rain location is the Rotary Complex. Follow the THINK team on Facebook and Twitter @THINKPerth for event details and weather updates.
For more information:
- Call Health Line at 519-271-7600 extension 267 or toll-free at 1-877-271-7348 extension 267
- Visit www.pdhu.on.ca and www.smokefreemovies.ca
- Follow @THINK team on Twitter and Facebook