January 21, 2009
Province Expands Anti-smoking Initiatives to Mark National Non-smoking Week
Manitoba is expanding the popular Students Working Against Tobacco program and developing new tobacco education materials for students of all ages as part of its growing strategy to combat smoking provincewide, Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross and Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson announced today during National Non-smoking Week.
“Manitoba is recognized as a national leader for its tobacco control initiatives, but we are committed to further expanding our efforts to reduce tobacco use and help prevent health problems in the years ahead,” said Irvin-Ross. “These new initiatives build on our work to reduce tobacco use and help Manitobans make informed decisions about the use of tobacco products.”
The award-winning Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) program, first launched in the province at Winnipeg’s West Kildonan Collegiate, is being expanded with provincial funds to Manitoba middle and high schools across the province, the ministers said. As part of the program, high-school students make presentations to middle-school students about the health risks of tobacco use and encourage them not to start smoking.
“SWAT has given youth a voice in tobacco control and empowers students to make a difference in their schools and communities,” said Bjornson. “Expanding this program will build on this success, allowing more students to teach other students how to stay smoke-free.”
Founded in 2001, the SWAT team has been recognized with several awards including the MANTRA Award from the Manitoba Tobacco Reduction Alliance, the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba Award, the Premier’s Award and the City of Winnipeg’s Mayor’s Award.
School divisions across the province will be contacted to gauge interest in starting a SWAT team in their schools. The teams will then be able to provide presentations to younger students and further raise awareness about tobacco-use prevention.
“SWAT is such a success because it gets youth talking about the harmful effects of tobacco and gives them a chance to learn from each other,” said Claudia Sarbit, board chair of the Seven Oaks School Division. “We’re thrilled this successful program pioneered at West Kildonan Collegiate will be expanded to other schools across the province.”
The ministers also announced today the winning ad of the innovative Review and Rate teen smoking prevention program. The winning ad, called Sponge, shows the graphic effects smoking has on the lungs by simulating the amount of tar found in the lungs of a pack-a-day smoker over the course of a year.
This year, almost 25,000 young people from 311 schools viewed the ads, took part in classroom discussions and voted. The winning advertisement will be aired on television during March. Fifty student names and 10 teacher names will be drawn and winners will receive an Apple iPod Shuffle as an incentive for participating in the program.
The ministers also said today the province is building on its partnership with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba to develop comprehensive educational materials about tobacco use for all grades in Manitoba schools. The materials will be developed and distributed to Manitoba schools over the coming year.
Manitoba became the first province in Canada to pass legislation prohibiting smoking in all indoor public places in 2004. The province has since moved to make all school grounds smoke-free. Last year’s provincial budget removed the provincial sales tax from over-the-counter stop-smoking aids and the province has introduced legislation that would prohibit smoking in vehicles where children are present.
National Non-Smoking Week is Jan. 18 to 24. For more information on tobacco reduction in Manitoba, visit www.gov.mb.ca/healthyliving/smoking.html.
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