Home Start a club Recruit members Resources new Activity ideas Visit middle schools Fundraising ideas Tell the media Important Dates Supporting your school Quit-smoking class TFS Rally 2006 new TATU profiles Portal Discussion Forum Cool links Register Your Club Subscribe to the Newsletter Contact Us   Supporting Your Tobacco-Free School Why? A Dozen Good Reasons Why What Works? The Comprehensive School Health Approach How? What You Can Do A Dozen Good Reasons for Tobacco-Free Schools This list is the foundation of tobacco-free schools...please read the document now and read it again when you are experiencing challenges. We can not lose sight of WHY tobacco-free schools are so important; and a reminder will always keep you and the rest of your action team focused on the objectives and unwavering in your conviction to support your tobacco-free school. Download PDF The Comprehensive School Health Approach to Tobacco-Control - It Works Just educating students on tobacco and its dangers will not affect change. Schools must also create an environment that encourages and supports behavior change. This is what "comprehensive school health" is all about...it reinforces health and smoking cessation on many levels, and in many ways. Rather than just educating students on why they shouldn't smoke, we also support them in their attempts to quit and provide a school environment conducive to not smoking. We know that no single approach to prevention or cessation will be effective with all students, all the time. As such, schools must take a variety of interventions within the 3-tiered model of comprehensive school health: education and awareness, services and support, and healthy environments. For example... Education and Awareness: a school might integrate tobacco issues into the curriculum, but understanding that not all students respond to traditional learning techniques the school also offers more interactive activities such as a tobacco trivia contest, poster contest, guest speakers and videos. Services and Support: in addition to offering a smoking cessation class, schools may encourage cessation through a buddy system, peer counseling or one-on-one support. Further, schools should offer this support throughout the academic year, not just one time...perhaps several students will want to quit smoking in September, but others may decide to quit in March. The same is true for education and awareness, these should all continue throughout the year, not just on one day or during one week. Healthy Environments: when we talk of healthy environments this includes not only the school, but also the community and home environments. While schools cannot directly control the home environments of its students you can have an influence by sending letters to parents about: your smoke-free policy, support offered by the school for smokers and non-smokers, or to share ways that they can support their child in quitting smoking. You may also assist parents in quitting smoking by having a smoking cessation table at parent teacher or informing them of the free services available in the community to help them quit the habit. Curious about what other high schools are doing? Check out the summary of activities from 2004-2005. What You Can Do Classroom Activities: Exploring the Warnings Give students the new warnings on cigarette packages and ask them to select the strongest statement (the one that would discourage them from starting to smoke). Using the overhead projector, record responses and ask them to give reasons for their choices. Tobacco Advertising Show magazine ads for cigarettes and ask what elements were used to persuade someone to smoke, what is being promised if you use the product, who is the ad aimed at (age, gender). True Tobacco Ads Have students create their own tobacco advertisements, uncovering the truth. see examples Make tobacco part of the curriculum Encourage all staff to integrate tobacco education into their classes. For example: The Media Studies class could look at tobacco industry marketing Chemistry could look at the content of tobacco smoke or cigarettes Math students can solve the equation of what it costs to smoke and how much money is saved after x number of days Survey Methodology: conduct a school smoking survey Biology could look at why tobacco smoke causes shortness of breath English class could write an essay on how they have been affected by tobacco or how they feel about the new smoke free places act Health class could learn how cigarettes cause disease The French class could learn about the culture of smoking in France (statistics, laws, opinions, etc.). Host a Parents B.E.S.T. workshop at your school They are delivered free of charge by Ridgewood Addiction Services, phone: 674-4300. Poll Staff: "Do you support the anti-tobacco initiative at this high school?" You will then be able to demonstrate to others that you have __% support to the tobacco-free initiative. Reach out to individual students Demonstrate to smokers that you genuinely care about their well-being. Ask if they have considered quitting, let them know about the cessation program at your school and/or one-on-one counseling services, keep a stock of sugar-free gum and water at your desk for students trying to quit and let them know it is available. Reduce Opportunities for Students to Smoke Instead of two 10 minute breaks, have one 5 minute break and one 15 minute break. Students can then spend only one morning break outside smoking. (at Hampton High this also reduced tardiness to classes) Provide smoking alternatives For students trying to quit: sugarfree candy and gum, suckers, water, stress balls Review existing school policies Tobacco-free athletics, scent-free, attendance, drug-free Provide a Morning Breakfast Program For students who arrive early this may keep them away from experimenting with cigarettes while they wait for class to start. Visit Breakfast for Learning for information and grant applications to help pay for the food. Dalhousie High School receives a grant from this program. Offer a quit-smoking program Choose a program that works well with your school environment and will address the needs of the students who have shown interest in quitting. get tips here Create Inviting Smoke-free areas Always make sure your high school offers a variety of activities and 'hang-out' spaces during noon. This has many, many benefits. Some ideas...courtyard beautification, games room, upgrade the phys-ed equipment, a lounge with comfy couches. Don't rule out asking smoking students what they would like to have, what activities your school could make available that they would enjoy during the noon hour. Communicate with Parents Consider sending letters to parents of all students who hang around in the smoking group. English example | French example Increase staff supervision To ensure students are not smoking on school property or in washrooms. Support a student-powered anti-tobacco club at your school ...such as TATU! Ensure that students are always involved in planning and implementing activities at your school. These activities will fall under one of three categories: activities that reduce opportunities to smoke (dances, clubs, smoke-free activities at noon), activities that are inconsistent with smoking (a smoke-free sports policy), and anti-tobacco activities (TATU club, staffing an information booth). A non-addicted student is a healthier learner 

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