Campaign "Arm yourself with courage, speak up" award finalist in the Silver Anvil awards of Public Relations Society of America
Along with other national campaigns, the program Arm yourself with courage, speak up, developed by the local public relations firm PR Links for Centennial de Puerto Rico and PAX USA, won the Silver Anvil award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). During the first round of evaluations, 893 pieces were evaluated from which 126 resulted finalists. The organization recognizes public relations programs representing the best strategy and creativity. PR Links is the only Puerto Rican agency nominated this year for a Silver Anvil.

Arm yourself with courage is an effort that creates awareness in preventing gun violence in schools and communities. It provides teenagers with tools to prevent weapon related threats at their schools. It consists of a confidential toll free hotline supported by a massive public service campaign, as well as an educational initiative for middle and high schools students in their communities. The initiative is addressed to middle and high school students and it is sponsored by different local organizations and the media. At present time, 762 confidential calls have been received and 46 incidents have been prevented.

“It is an enormous achievement for our company to be nominated for this award, but the real achievement is for our client Centennial de Puerto Rico, who had the vision and felt the need to create this program to stop gun violence in our schools. They provided their generous support for the implementation of the program”, commented Tomás Dardet, APR, president of PRLinks Communications.

The Silver Anvil awards were established in 1946 and at present, 59 categories and subcategories are awarded. The program “Arm yourself with courage, speak up” is included in the Public Relations Multicultural program for government, associations and non-profit organizations. The organization receives and evaluates initiatives and program from the entire nation, including local, national and international initiatives. A jury of 139 members practicing public relations evaluated the pieces. The winners will be announced by the Public Relations Society of America during June 4 and will compete for the highest award: The Best of the Silver Anvil. PR Links Communications is a public relations and strategic consulting firm established in 2006 by E. Tomás Dardet APR, public relations professional certified by PRSA and previous recipient of a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for his work in “Descubre el Regalo que llevamos dentro” for the American Red Cross in 2006. The firm services accounts from various industries including Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico, Centennial de Puerto Rico, British Virgin Island Tourism Office for Puerto Rico and Latin America, Oracle,  Abbott and the Ambassador Program of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau.

Teacher for one day, President of Centennial de Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 21, 2008 – Carlos Blanco, President of Centennial de Puerto Rico offered a class on technology to high school students at University Gardens, a school specialized in mathematics and science. The initiative is part of the SAPIENTIS week, a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of public education in Puerto Rico.

During the course, Mr. Blanco shared with more than 80 students, to whom he explained in detail the process of mobile communications as well as the components of a cell phone. He also went through the history and evolution of these devices, since its creation in the 80’s until what will be in the future of such an important technology. It is worth noting that the first cell phone launched in March 1983. Twenty-five years later, this technology continues to bridging the gap. The cost of a mobile phone was $3,995 whereas today some models are free to the user when subscribing to the service.

The students also had the opportunity to ask questions about the telecommunications industry as well as their concerns. They discussed about security, costs and career opportunities at Centennial de Puerto Rico, among other subjects.

Arm yourself with courage public service campaign
The efforts of the campaign “Arm yourself with courage” include radio, press, TV, flyers, posters and billboards and other outdoor advertising, that will be covered by the local media. The campaign asks to use the toll free line to prevent regrettable incidents in addition to an Internet page. The print ad presents a girl hiding behind a notebook that has the toll free number and the phrase “Arm yourself with courage, speak up”, with a call to action for kids to call. The radio spot presents a regrettable situation with firearms during a school break where some kids are playing basketball and where some of the students couldn’t prevent the situation because they decided to keep it quiet. The TV spot presents everyday situations in schools where a firearm is constantly present then it appeals to the student that if he knows about the presence of firearms in school and who is carrying arms, he should talk in order to prevent a tragedy..

Educational module pilot for middle and high school students
The Chana and Samuel Levis Foundation is in charge of the implementation of the pilot. It consist of a series of workshops for middle and high schools students. The session allows student participants to discuss the diaries of students who have been exposed to weapon related situations. The Foundation, that at present manages the Program for Creative Management of Conflicts (MaCC) in around 10 schools with violence issues, will implement this module at first with 10th grade students at Trina Padilla de Sanz High School in Arecibo, identified by the public education system as one of the seven more violent schools. These workshops will include trained teachers from other violent schools who will implement the workshops and share information about their schools, respectively: Juan Ramón Jiménez school at Residencial Manuel A. Pérez; Lila Mayoral de Hernández, in Ponce; Eugenio María de Hostos in Mayagüez and Pedro Albizu Campos in Quebradillas.
Looking for greater community outreach, the Boys and Girls Club of Puerto Rico replicated these workshops at their six centers throughout the island.

The toll free hotline is available and receiving calls, while the public service ads have been distributed  to the media for circulation. Three session workshops will be offered during the school semester at BCGPR.

Kids can call toll free to, 1-877-70valor (1-877-708-2567)
Centennial presents the program Arm yourself with courage, speak up, a program for the eradication of violence in schools.
San Juan, Puerto Rico August 20, 2008 – A confidential toll free hotline supported by a massive public service campaign, as well as an educational initiative for middle and high school students. Arm yourself with courage, a Puerto Rican version of Speak Up!, an initiative of PAX USA, was implemented in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club and the Chana & Samuel Levis Foundation, thanks to the generous support of Centennial de Puerto Rico.

Arm yourself with courage is an effort to make awareness. As per data of the US Secret Service, 81% of the total school shootings throughout the nation could have been prevented because students knew about the threats and in 93% of these violent cases, the confidences came from the students.

“The main purpose of this program is to provide our teenagers the tools to prevent tragedies in our schools and to make sure schools are sanctuaries for education. We bet that this initiative will have great success, thanks to the confidentiality of the PAX employees in the United States who will answer the calls at PAX call centers”, commented Carlos Blanco, president at Centennial de Puerto Rico.

The call to the toll free hotline 1-877-70-VALOR (1-877-708-2567) is free of charge and will be answered by a Hispanic operator in the PAX call center in the US. After receiving the confidence, they communicate with local authorities that will handle the situation. Confidences will be directed to the School Security Division of the Department of Education and a report copy the Illegal Weapons Bureau of the Puerto Rico Police Dept. The person making the call will not have any kind of visual contact with the authorities and will not have to provide his/her name.

“Education is the best tool for transforming our society. The Department of Education promotes organizations that are committed in establishing a culture of peace in the Island. Through this effort we can make sure that, at our schools will dominate the serenity that every democratic society looks forward to”, pointed out Rafael Aragunde, Secretary of Education.
“The pounding of violence and criminal activity in our Island can only be stopped when we get our efforts together to the public and private sectors, that is why we congratulate PAX USA and Centennial de Puerto Rico in launching this initiative. As the main security agency in the country, we publicly announce our support to this initiative”, added Lcdo. Pedro Toledo, Police Department superintendent.