COLUMBIA (WACH) - AC Flora junior Justin Leonard could be at the beach with his friends or at home playing video games.  Instead, he's with his fellow classmates filming public service announcements for five non-profit organizations throughout the midlands.

"Because I know it's helping others along the way."

ETV and the Nickelodeon Theatre sponsoring a week long event called "Youth Electronic Synching."   The students produce and edit these spots under the mentoring of ETV staff, who are also chronicling the project.

ETV producer Betsy Newman says the project will expose at risk African American males to TV writing and production.

"It's come to our attention that African American young men are not keeping up necessarily in all ways educationally with their peers."

Leonard says he's more interested in an engineering career, but accepted the invite to this project because he enjoys the camaraderie of working with his fellow classmates.

"Most of them are football players, they already show dedication to projects, so I think it's pretty good they're helping out with something."

The students, their parents and the general public are invited to get a first hand look at finished product 6:30, this Friday night at ETV's studios.