NEWS RELEASE
Contact: A. Bruce Crawley
Millennium 3 Management
abcrawley@millennium3management.com
(215) 922-7184
Amy Polacko
PBG Public Relations
amy.polacko@pepsi.com
(914) 767-6960
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TWO WINNERS SELECTED AS “AQUAFINA YOUTH REPORTERS”
Young People will have Essays Published in The Philadelphia Tribune
Philadelphia, PA October 30, 2006- The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (PBG) today
announced that Nathan J. Wilson, 22 and Georgeanne Conley, 22, have been selected as
the winners of the company’s Aquafina Youth Reporter Contest. PBG announced the
essay-writing competition earlier this month, in partnership with The Philadelphia
Tribune, The Philadelphia Police Department and The School District of Philadelphia.
The contest encouraged young people to share their thoughts on violence and other issues
affecting youth in Philadelphia. Young people between the age of 16 and 25 were invited
to submit their thoughts on the question: “What causes youth violence and how can we
stop it?”
Wilson, a student at Temple University, and Conley, a Drexel University student,
shared the same excitement for winning the contest and the opportunity to delve into the
issues that affect our city’s youth. Their winning essay submissions related the problem of
violence to underlying issues of parental abandonment, poverty stricken neighborhoods,
inadequate or nonexistent after-school programs, and the role of the media.
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TWO WINNERS SELECTED AS “AQUAFINA YOUTH REPORTERS”/ 2 of 4
In his winning essay Wilson wrote, “There needs to be focus on proactively
approaching youth violence, and not reactively. We must see that all children are raised in
a safe environment. It’s hard to stop the violence without restoring the family, and it’s hard
to restore the family without rebuilding the community.”
In her winning essay Conley wrote, “The only way teenagers will reduce their need
to commit a crime is if they feel there is something more to life… A friend of mine was
robbed at gunpoint, in his own campus apartment, by a fifteen year-old. At fifteen I was
faced with the fear of going to school with a pimple, not thinking about how to acquire a
firearm to commit breaking and entering. The answer to youth violence is found with the
loss of innocence.”
Both winners will have their essays, and one other column on a subject of their
choice, printed in The Philadelphia Tribune, the city’s largest African-American
newspaper. The columns will appear in the newspaper from early November through midDecember. The winners will also receive a laptop computer to encourage them to keep
writing.
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TWO WINNERS SELECTED AS “AQUAFINA YOUTH REPORTERS”/ 3 of 4
"The Aquafina Youth Reporter Contest generated an enthusiastic response. We're
very pleased that so many people chose to participate," said Dave Fitts, Vice President and
General Manager of the Delaware Valley Market Unit at PBG. "It was fascinating to read
young people's perspectives on one of the most important issues facing our community.
Their responses were insightful and thought-provoking. We'd like to thank all of the
young people who participated in this important exercise -- and we'd like to encourage
them to keep writing.”
“When we announced the Youth Reporter Program, I mentioned that we had heard
from almost every segment of the community except our young people” said Police
Commissioner Sylvester Johnson. “ I have read what these young people wrote- on issues
such as the need for mentorships and improved economic opportunities- giving us an
important new perspective on addressing the issue of youth violence. We agree with many
of the young people that adding more police officers is just one component of solving the
problem.”
Serving as judges of the competition were the Philadelphia Police Department,
Shonda McClain-Hill from The Philadelphia Tribune, Anastasia Karloutsos, from The
School District of Philadelphia and Wrenton Wright, Director of Community Relations at
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
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TWO WINNERS SELECTED AS “AQUAFINA YOUTH REPORTERS”/ 4 of 4
“This has been a great experience for us at the Tribune,” said the paper’s editor, Irv
Randolph, “having an opportunity to read the submissions from so many young people on
such an important issue. It’s also been a reaffirmation that there is another positive side of
the “Philadelphia Youth Story” to tell about the wide number bright and insightful young
people in our community.”
“I was really moved by the quality of thinking of so many of the young people who
participated,” said Anastasia Karloutsos of the Philadelphia School District. “It appears
that we’ve uncovered a growing new generation of educators, rural workers, and potential
leaders.”
About The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc.
The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. (www.pbg.com) is the world’s largest manufacturer, seller
and distributor of Pepsi-Cola beverages with operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico,
Russia, Spain, Turkey and Greece.
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