Tips for Visiting Middle Schools

A female student at Fundy High highlighted the importance of this quite well when she said "if we want to decrease the smoking rate at Fundy High School we should try to decrease the smoking rate in students that are coming to Fundy High".

It makes sense doesn't it? If you have fewer addicted students entering your high school in grade 9 and they continue to choose not to smoke all through high school the impact is huge! Did you know that in Canada 85% of smokers start before their 18th birthday...if young people can get through high school without smoking, odds are they'll go through life smoke-free! You (yes you!) can make a difference, you can save lives, so let's get started....

Start by having your advisor contact the guidance counselor of the school your group would like to visit. The principal is also a good contact if the guidance counselor is unavailable. Set up a date and time to visit each homeroom...your advisor can arrange this by stopping into each homeroom to ask the teacher what period would work best.
When choosing how many people to go make sure you have enough for the activity you are doing, but not more than enough or else it could be too crowded and hectic.
If your group has t-shirts or wrist bands be sure to wear them.
So...now you're in front of the class, have one person tell the students who you are, and a little about your club, then let them know what you will be doing during this visit (ex. "We have a video to show about how the tobacco industry markets their products to teens and after the video we'll have a discussion and answer questions about what you saw.").
Put one member in charge of each item: the introduction, the video, leading the discussion, etc.

Activities

Show a Video and Followed by an Activity.
Ex: Show the Barb Tarbox video then ask the students how it made them feel, do they know someone who smokes or used to smoke.
Group Scenarios and Roleplay.
Use roleplay to teach the students how to say no to smoking if a friend offers them a cigarette, or what to say if someone is smoking around them (in the car, in a home, on a date, etc.).
Tobacco Advertisements.
Advertising tobacco is banned in Canada, but not in the US...so US magazines that are distributed in Canada usually contain tobacco advertising. Show kids sample tobacco ads and ask questions like: what type of person is this ad trying to attract, according to this ad what are the benefits of using their product, what do they want you to think you will have more of if you use the product? You could also have kids create their own tobacco ads that tell the truth...do this as a contest or hang up the drawings as art.
Tobacco Trivia.
Have the students form groups of 2 or 3 and answer true/false questions about tobacco. Give prizes of gum, pens, pencils, etc. if you can.
Noon Hour Display.
Rather than visiting individual classrooms your group could set up a table in the cafeteria or lobby during noon hour. You could do a number of themes: the cost of smoking, tobacco trivia, what's in tobacco smoke and cigarettes, etc.
Rotating Stations.
With permission from the school and teachers, take a period or two and set up different stations in areas of the school (the cafeteria, the gym, an empty classroom, the lobby). Have groups of students rotate from station to station, with enough time allocated to each station to complete the given activity. You could have a demonstration of the Pig's Lung at one station, a short video and discussion at another, tobacco facts at another...you get the picture.
Create Your Own Activity.
These are just suggestions...what ideas do you have to add to this?


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