Jasper’s Grade 5 students received some important lessons from their peers on June 9, when older students from École Desrochers delivered the annual Kick Butt program. 

Kick Butt is a smoking education program delivered by students, to students. It gives the youth the information they need to make an informed decision about smoking, at the age that they could begin to be exposed to it amongst their peers. 

This is the sixth time the program has been delivered to Jasper’s students. This year, things were a little bit different due to the Lung Association’s funding restraints, but the program was identified as too important to lose. Les Dolan, youth/teen outreach worker at Community Outreach Services, teamed up with Kim Wallace, a teacher at École Desrochers, to train the older students. The program is a partnership between Community Outreach Services, Alberta Health Services Addictions and École Desrochers. 

Usually a few students would attend a conference put on by the Lung Association to learn how to deliver the program. 

The peer support has made Kick Butt an award-winning program. It targets 10 and 11 year old students because they are at a crucial age. 

“It’s recognized as a pivotal time that they can receive that information,” Dolan said. 

Studies have shown that the age group is most susceptible to tobacco experimentation. Delivering the program allows those students to think clearly and be informed about smoking should they be faced with an opportunity to try it. The program does not tell students not to smoke, but rather tells them the facts about the habit. 

The program also teaches the students about tobacco companies’ marketing strategies, and about the industry as a whole. The students learned about the revenues earned by big tobacco companies, compared to the farmer that actually grows it. The students were asked to provide feedback after the program, and one student, Britanny, was shocked at the differences. 

“The most startling thing I learned is how much the farmers get paid compared to the boss of the cigarette companies,” Britanny wrote. 

The program tackled tobacco use in developing nations, its image in Hollywood and chewing tobacco as well. 

The student’s feedback was positive. Josh wrote that he was startled to discover the amount of chemicals in one cigarette, while Hayden worried about the effect of one cigarette on the world. 

Dolan hopes the lessons learned at Kick Butt will stay with the students. 

“You kind of hope that they chuck that (the information) in the back of their minds when they’re facing those decisions,” she said. 

The students filled out form letters to send to Premier Ed Stelmach to urge him to support legislation that would stop smoking in private vehicles when a child is present. They also made a poster that will be displayed at Video Stop on how kids view smoking.