CLEAN AIR WAVES

          Editor Corey Wakeley

November 12th - 16th              SHOUT OUT NO TOBACCO week (AKA The Great American Smoke Out)

For more information about up coming events visit our website at: www.tobacco-free.net

Educational Service District (ESD) 123 Tobacco Prevention/Intervention News

By Rebecca Goheen - Tobacco Prevention Specialist for ESD 123

Red Ribbon Week

            Red ribbon week (September 22-26) was celebrated by many of the intervention specialists around the ESD region.  They did everything from morning announcements to handing out red ribbons to highly engaging lunchtime activities all in an effort to promote prevention messages.  This week is an annual occurrence that addresses Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) issues.

Special Visit

Mary Selecky, Washington State Secretary of Health, came to Finley Middle School on October 18th, to put on an assembly for the entire student body.  Mary discussed things such as the importance of TATU (Teens Against Tobacco Use) and shared the new No Stank You campaign with students.  Following the assembly, Mary met with local media representatives to share more information about the tobacco prevention project.

We also had a successful TATU training at ESD 123 on October 19th, with Chelsea Snodgrass from American Lung Association in Yakima.  Seventeen youth were trained in the TATU curriculum and will go back to their districts to teach younger students.

TAP/TEG-Helping Teens Stop Using Tobacco

ESD 123 was happy to host a TAP & TEG (teen tobacco cessation) program training on September 20th and 21st (with the help of Tobacco Prevention Resource Center).  There were 3 county partners and 12 prevention/intervention specialists trained.  The program is made up of 2 parts; the first part is an educational piece where a student is referred (by self or by someone else) to the trained individual, who then proceeds by providing the teen with information about the harmful effects of tobacco in an engaging format.  The second portion of the program is an optional cessation class, which provides tools to empower the teen to quit when they are ready. 

Since this training, we have heard great things from Prevention Intervention Specialist’s regarding an increased momentum behind improving tobacco policy and procedures for diversion or alternatives to suspension for tobacco infractions in our area schools.  While this has been a goal of ours for some time, policy change is often times a slow process.  With more administrators on board to tackle the ‘tobacco’ issue, we are hopeful that this will help to decrease tobacco use among teens in our schools and communities.

Please check out our newly improved website when you have an opportunity; http://www.esd123.org. For more information about the ESD 123's Tobacco Prevention Program contact: Rebecca Goheen Rgoheen@esd123.org.

Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic

By Maria Benavides

During the past two years, the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic has provided anti-tobacco messages to families in Benton-Franklin and Walla Walla counties through Spanish radio stations KMNA & KLES.  These public service announcements were recorded by high school students and focused on prevention and dealing with peer pressure.  In addition, the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic has disseminated information about the dangers of tobacco use at clinics, community action centers, community events, and health fairs.

For more information about tobacco prevention and the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic contact Maria Benavides at mariab@ncactopp.org.

2007-2008 Youth Advisory Board Underway

By Melanie Norris-Tobacco Prevention Coordinator

The Youth Advisory Board kick off took place on Saturday September 15th with students from Richland High, Pasco High, Kennewick High and River View High attending. This was an opportunity for students on the 2007-2008 Youth Advisory Board (YAB)  to get to know one another a little better, have some fun and do a little planning in the process. A lot of fun was had playing mini golf, eating lunch and working together to brainstorm ideas and activities for the upcoming school year. YAB meets the 1^st Monday of the month at 5:30pm at the Starbucks on HWY 395 and Clearwater. For more information contact Melanie Norris at m.mknorris@verizon.net

Motivational Interviewing

By Carol Sams - Trainer

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a brief 30 second process of communicating with patients in a simpler, more relaxed way, in an effort to help them make healthier lifestyle changes.  This process can be linked with other medical and dental providers to use a team approach to life style changes.  Contact Carol Sams for your free one hour presentation.  carol@tobacco-free.net

Upcoming Trainings:

For more information about these trainings, contact: