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Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation attendees will be able to:
- After reviewing "The Big Pitch" Drama Contest poster presentation attendees will have the knowledge and skills to successfully implement a unique youth prevention grassroots program in their own community.
People who work with school based tobacco prevention programs
Key Points:
In Arkansas, youth smoking has declined steadily from 35.8 percent in 2000 to 23.5 percent in 2010, but in 2003 rates were higher than state tobacco control leaders hoped. There was a need for new tobacco prevention programs to be implemented in Arkansas to help drive down youth smoking rates.
"The Big Pitch" Drama Contest allows Arkansas youth to be involved in creating television ads for the Stamp Out Smoking (SOS) campaign. The thinking behind this approach was that submitted television ads would shed light on current youth attitudes toward tobacco and understand what messages would best influence them to never start using tobacco.
Television commercials submitted by students were posted to YouTube and pulled into the contest website which included links for people to share the site with their friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Educational Experience:
Workshop attendees will learn first hand how to implement a statewide prevention grassroots program.
Benefits:
Each year, the contest impacts more students with a tobacco prevention message and allows Arkansas youth to spread the tobacco-free message to peers and adults in a fun and educational way.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Best Practices have proven to be successful in reducing tobacco use through comprehensive tobacco control efforts. State and community interventions may include educational campaigns, community trainings, parental involvement or student programs. The Best Practice guidelines were used to develop “The Big Pitch” Drama Contest.