Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable illness, disability and premature death and costs Newfoundland and Labrador an estimated $363.7 million (2002) annually. Despite recent successes with declining smoking rates, almost 100,000 people in our province continue to smoke. Every 10 minutes, two Canadian teenagers start smoking cigarettes; one of them will lose their life because of it. Tobacco companies are committed to increasing sales of their products, which they can do only by addicting a new generation of smokers.   Tobacco companies spend more than $10 billion a year marketing tobacco products, much of it in ways that appeal to youth.  They don’t tell us, however, that tobacco is addictive and deadly.  That is where we need you!

We are asking students to create 30-second radio ads to tell the deadly truth about tobacco & why so many young people are choosing to live tobacco-free lives.  The ad should be related to the theme, “Life Is Even Better Smoke Free!”  In January, we will choose five radio ads and each of these ads will have a chance to have their message broadcast on CBC Radio and Rogers Cable TV during National Non-Smoking Week in January.  The teachers of the five classes selected with the writing of these winning ads shall receive a $200 prize from the Alliance for the Control of Tobacco and a pool, skating, or bowling party for the class from the Tobacco Free Network.  The $200 cash prize can be used to promote healthy living in the school.

This project provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to involve students in a critical literacy activity, one in which they actually take an action that may lead to social change.  The in-class work will certainly cross all three strands of the English Language arts curriculum: speaking and listening, reading and viewing, and writing and other ways of representing activities.  Having projects aired on CBC Radio, CFCB Radio, and Rogers Cable TV lends to the authenticity of the project.

      All grade levels are invited to participate. To ensure that the Smoke Free message gets out to the students in each school, the school principal could bring this contest up at the next staff meeting and ask for at least one teacher to have their class participate in this contest.  This could be a great fit in Language Arts, Health, or Drama and a great way to spread the message.  Let’s spread the word!