Released on January 20, 2014
Saskatchewan is again offering an innovative program that encourages young people to think critically about tobacco use. View and Vote 5 will be available to schools province-wide, beginning during National Non-Smoking Week, January 19-25, 2014.
“We are pleased to offer View and Vote to schools across the province once again,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. “This program is a powerful tool to educate young people about harmful effects of smoking or using tobacco products.”
View and Vote gives students Grades 6 to 12 an opportunity to view 12 of the world's best anti-tobacco television ads and voice their opinion. Teachers guide students as they watch the ads and encourage them to engage in discussions and think critically about tobacco use. Students select the ad they feel is the most effective in helping them to remain tobacco-free or make them think about quitting.
View and Vote 5 runs from January 20 to April 30. The winning ad will be announced on May 31, World No Tobacco Day, and aired online and at movie theatres throughout the province in June.
The program has been offered every two years since 2006, and is a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.
“Reducing tobacco use among young people is important for their long-term health,” Duncan said. “Our government remains committed to protecting the health and well-being of young people in our province.”
The Ministry of Health continues to collaborate with stakeholders to curb tobacco use through a provincial tobacco reduction strategy, launched in 2010. The strategy has a multifaceted approach and focuses on cessation, prevention and protection.
Initiatives supported through the provincial tobacco strategy include:
- Smokestream, an anti-tobacco campaign targeted at young people between the ages of 11 and 14 years, encourages youth to remain tobacco free or quit using tobacco. It captures compelling comments on tobacco collected from Saskatchewan youth through the campaign website smokestream.ca.
- Funding provided to the Canadian Cancer Society, Saskatchewan Division to deliver the Smokers’ Help-Line (1-877-513-5333), which offers cessation advice to smokers.
- On line training, resources, and enhanced referral services offered through PACT (Partnership to Assist with Cessation of Tobacco) and the makeapact.ca website.
Saskatchewan’s smoking rate is 18 per cent compared to 16.1 per cent nationally, according to the 2012 Canadian Tobacco Monitoring Use Survey.
For more information on tobacco reduction in Saskatchewan and supports to help people quit smoking visit, the Ministry of Health website at page www.saskatchewan.ca/live/health-and-healthy-living/prevention-and-treatment.
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For more information, contact:
Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca