REACT updates
Hello CWYC!!
Since Take Action! we have been keeping ourselves busy by wrapping up our tobacco industry tactics video called “Word from the Bird”. Once it is complete we are going to post the video on Youtube. Over the past few weeks we have attended a number of events such as the Niagara Falls Film Festival, where we dressed up in 1950’s gear to promote our Tobacco Industry movie and talked to people about smoking in movies.
On June 20th we attended a YMCA picnic in Welland. We had three activities to choose from, including Mad Dash, Operation Station and I’d Rather Be. Mad Dash is basically a giant game of octopus, but instead of having an octopus there is a tobacco executive. Another station was Operation Station where kids had to pick up pictures of body parts and place them on the cardboard cut-out bodies. The last station was I’d Rather Be and the children had to draw something they would rather be doing then using a tobacco product.
We are planning Art In The Park, which involves taped bodies with glued on cigarette butts to display in local parks. Our objective is to raise awareness that cigarette butts are litter. We are currently finishing making some of the bodies and starting to glue cigarette butts onto the bodies. We are also planning our tobacco free sports and recreation tournament. We are attending a ball hockey tournament in Welland on July 26th. And finally we are going to do Kick Butts at local summer camps again this year. We are in the process of redesigning the games to make it even better this year!!
As you can tell, we have a very busy and exciting summer planned.
Detox’s monthly news (by Amanda Christie, Peer Leader)
It’s been a whirlwind month!
Let’s start with the arts. We did some impromptu chalking at a local elementary school Phrases used included ”Be smart, don’t start”, “Don’t let the tobacco industry sneak up on you”, “95% of students do not smoke” and ”You have the right to a smoke-free world”! Apparently our messages were well received and generated discussion.
Following that, let’s look to sports. Detox went to a local track and field event where we presented the competitors with information and freebies. The information was geared towards the benefits of tobacco-free sports. While the wind may have been an annoyance to our display board, we still felt that it was a successful event.
Onwards from that, let’s go to the travel section. Some members of Detox went to the wonderful annual event known to all as Take!Action. We had a wonderful time, and learned a lot. Hearing Dr. Samantha Nutt speak was a highlight for all of us, and one lucky Detox Peer Leader heard Gruen! Our letters to our politicians have been sent, letting them know our views. We took and compared notes to share with the rest of our team from our informative, interesting mini-assemblies. Some PLs are now planning an event to advocate for more Canadian action with the FCTC. We’d love to link with any other YAAs who are also doing something with this. Overall, we had a great time ‘jumping’ into action!
In local news, Detox presented our PSA to our first focus group: our volunteer performers! They gave us valuable feedback, and we all enjoyed the pizza and snacks.
In world news, Detox had a display booth at a Food for Thought hunger banquet presented by the Amnesty International group at our high school. Information showed how the tobacco industry manipulates impoverished people to choose between spending money on tobacco or food. We had a wonderful slide show that we would be happy to share.
Tune back next time for more on our PSA, Smoke-Free Sports event, and our other exciting summer plans!
From Wellington County, this has been your one minute news. – Detox –
Chalking at an elementary school in Fergus
Exhausted after a chalking frenzy
From our PSA Focus Group invitation
Toxik’s june update
Toxik is busy planning our upcoming summer events. Currently, we are working on three major events. The first event is Toxik’s and Y-Act’s ongoing event from last summer. Yes I am talking about the smoke-free parks. This summer we will be touring different locations across the Region of Waterloo and displaying our cigarette butt slide structure. Some of the locations are Children’s Museum in Kitchener and Waterloo Public Library in waterloo. We have also created three new posters focusing on smoke free parks which will be posted in community centres and other public facilities throughout the region.
The next event is the pet’s event. Toxik has made a very creative pamphlet focusing on the health effects of smoking on pets. We are also making a display that will be toured to different community events in the region. We will also be partnering up with humane society in September- more details to follow.
Last but not the least is the AYC tournament. We are close to securing a partner for our tournament and hope to have this event sometime in July or August.
Keep checking our blog for updates!
