YOUNGSTOWN — The 12th annual OK, Inc. Friends4Friends Film Festival Awards took place Sunday at the DeYor Performing Arts Center in downtown Youngstown, complete with red carpet treatment for the student “stars,” film screenings of all the entries and awards.

OK, Inc.’s (Operation Keepsake) mission is to challenge young people to develop healthy relationships and strong characters to become future leaders and agents of change within their schools and communities. Students representing five middle schools from Mahoning County, as well as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Youngstown, produced their own short films that tackled real-life issues they face every day such as dating abuse, cyberbullying, peer pressure and anxiety.

Participating schools and their film entries were:

• Austintown Middle School — “Sara’s Secret,” which is about cyberbullying.

• Chaney Middle School — “When Love Hurts,” which is about dating abuse.

• South Range High School and Middle School — “Scrolling,” which is about TikTok.

• West Branch Middle School — “The Penny Wars,” which is about peer pressure.

• The Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown — “My Words Matter,” which is about anxiety.

• The Northeast Ohio Impact Academy at Campbell City Schools — “Tilted Teammates,” which is about cyberbullying.

Mary Jennings, English and Language Arts teacher at Campbell’s Northeast Ohio Impact Academy (NEOIA) helped guide her students during the film making process. She highlighted the seriousness and importance of the subject matter.

“Middle school is probably more of a turbulent time than high school for most students. They are navigating so much socially and emotionally at that age, especially when you add in the social media component and impulsivity,” Jennings said.

Echoing her thoughts was John Childer, social studies teacher at NOEIA.

“There is unlimited access to being mean to each other in today’s world. When I was younger, you were able to leave school and leave the teasing or bullying behind. The ability to be able to continue that well after they leave school and are at home is a concept that teens really struggle with. Through social media, texting and other online measures there is unprecedented access to negative behaviors,” Childer said.

NEOIA students met the issue and film challenge head on.

“Something our group of students really wanted to stress in their short film was the importance of face-to-face conflict management. They wanted to show how a conflict started online and got solved in person with help from friends and trusted adults. They wanted to spread awareness about something they felt directly impacted by or that someone close to them dealt with at one time or another,” Jennings said.

The Campbell students settled on cyberbullying for their short film, “Tilted Teammates,” since they knew it was prevalent for their grade level. The students came up with relatable characters, a detailed plot, a conflict and a solution for the short film.

OK Inc., perfected the script and made sure it fit the parameters of the Friends4Friends style.

“The students are so proud of what they created, and I love that I got to help them find their creative outlet,”Jennings said.

The student creators had much to say about their experience in filming.

Appearing as “Sammie” in the film was eighth grader IreLynn Wellman.

“The thing I enjoyed most about the film process was being able to hang out with some of my classmates after school. The trials and errors made us all laugh. However, in the end, it was nice to see that what we had filmed and spent time on turned out well,” she said.

Dominic Dobich, also an eighth-grader, appeared as “Ryan,” in the film. He commented on the creative process, saying, “I just thought of real life struggles I had, and kind of mixed them.”

Jaiden Melendez, a freshman at the academy, appeared as “Alex” in the film and enjoyed the opportunity for self-discovery.

“I found out that acting is now one of my interests, but I also learned that it is difficult to go over the script and actually record whatever scene is needed,” Melendez said.

Electing to work on the Peer Leadership Council for the film was eighth-grader Madison Kimball, who gained a deeper awareness of bullying through her experience with the movie.

“I realized that just a few words can really affect someone and their relationships and friendships,” she said.

Awards given out at the festival included:

• Best Actor — Collin DeWitt, West Branch Middle School, for “The Penny Wars.”

• Best Actress — Khylie Harris, Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, for “My Words Matter.”

• Best Extras — West Branch Middle School for “The Penny Wars.”

• Best Male Adult Role — Walter Vanities, South Range, for “Scrolling.”

• Best Female Adult Role — Edna Edmonds, Mahoning County Juvenile Court and Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, for “My Words Matter.”

• Best Supporting Actor — Evan Mansour, South Range, for “Scrolling.”

• Best Supporting Actress — Avian Cameron, Chaney Middle School, for “When Love Hurts.”

• Annual Impact Award — Chaney Middle School for “Davion’s Dilemma.” (2024 film)

• Best Short Film — Chaney Middle School for “When Love Hurts.”

All films are available for viewing on YouTube.