Great American Smoke-Out Aims to snuff out tobacco use

Hank Dewald, Daily Herald Staff Writer

HALIFAX – It was all about teens supporting teens to stop smoking— in hopes of reducing deaths that now number more than 400,000 each year. 

Halifax high school students in the Teens Against Tobacco Use (T.A.T.U) organization took their message to high school cafeterias as part of the nationwide Great American Smoke-Out Day.

Armed with the latest information about tobacco use, the Northwest and Southeast Halifax High School’s T.A.T.U. peer educators set up a Lunch ‘N’ Learn booth displaying information on the harmful effects of tobacco, secondhand smoke and quitting tips. 

The large display booth set up at Northwest was a hub of activity yesterday afternoon. The group also sponsored an art contest as part of their program this year and student art work covered the wall behind the booth and spread out around a corner of the cafeteria. The theme of the art project was “Helping Build A Smoke-Free Planet.”

“The response to the art contest has been fantastic and it’s really sparked interest. As you can see,” said Yashica Williams, one of the organizers of the T.A.T.U. group in Halifax schools.

As students browsed through the art, many took advantage of the Great American Smoke-Out pledge — the goal of T.A.T.U. “There has been a great response here,” said Samarian Jones, a 10th grader at Northwest. She is one of the newer T.A.T.U. teens who joined the fight against tobacco use among her peers.

“It’s really been a very good day. I think we’ve had close to 150 students take the (GASO) pledge,” said Jones. She and Dominique Boyd worked the crowd of students around the multiple-table display area.

Several other T.A.T.U. students were actually seated behind the displays that heralded the latest information about all forms of tobacco use and the dangers they present to people that use them. Most were not able to sit long as they were kept busy by students asking questions and requesting brochures and flyers.

“This group is really good,” said Williams as she watched the kids work, “They’re really energetic. The majority of them are new to the group. I don’t have any seniors this year, but this group has gotten a very good response.”

Williams said there are 24 students involved in the program at Northwest this year and 20 more at Southeast. “Most of the kids that have responded today don’t actually smoke thank goodness, but we’ve had more than 200 take the pledge so far. Of them, I’d say maybe 75 smoke, so if we can get just one to quit for good, that will be one life saved.”

The response was not just from the students though. Teachers and staff at Northwest were also seen browsing through the artwork and displays. “We’ve had a lot of our staff respond to the kids,” said Williams, “Most of them don’t smoke, but we have had five or six that said they are going to quit today,” Williams said with a smile.

Halifax County Schools’ teen tobacco prevention activities are funded by a grant from the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF). Tobacco, Reality, Unfiltered (TRU) is HWTFs teen tobacco prevention campaign.

Throughout the year, young advocates take part in a variety of activities to protect their peers from tobacco, including working to develop policies that reduce teen tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Educating their peers about the importance of staying tobacco-free is their ultimate goal.

“Since teens listen to other teens, these youth advocates are one of the keys to success in reducing tobacco use in the next generation,” said Vandana Shah, Executive Director of the HWTF.

“The Great American Smoke-Out is an awesome event that saves lives by getting people to stop smoking” said Ronnell Green of Northwest. “Let’s get informed about tobacco, be aware of its effects, and then take action to help others to quit” said Quatrice Vaughn of Southeast.

The message appeared to be getting across to the students at Northwest. Stickers showing the students had taken the pledge could be seen throughout the cafeteria and in the school’s hallways.

Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 400,000 people every year. Each day, more than 4,000 youth try their first cigarette, another 1,000 youth become addicted smokers, one-third of whom will die prematurely as a result. These are just some of the facts and figures presented by the American Cancer Society through the T.A.T.U. displays.

Using peer pressure and setting a good example for their fellow students has proven to be an effective way of getting the message out about the dangers of tobacco use said Williams. It was obvious their message was received by many during this year’s Great American Smoke-Out.