High School Heroes
Now a component of the Blue & Youth Health Program, High School Heroes was
developed by the American Lung Association and is sponsored statewide by Arkansas
Blue Cross and Blue Shield. High School Heroes is a student-to-student teaching
program in which high-school role models deliver a strong anti-smoking message to
fifth-graders. More than 1,604 high school students were trained, and more than
17,887 fifth-graders were reached in 2000-01. In 2000-01, the program was active
in 38 Arkansas counties.
 The
American Lung Association trains school counselors and high-school students in each
county to execute the program. The specially trained students use brainstorming,
role playing, discussion, and question-and-answer sessions to stress the importance
of never starting to smoke. Their goal is to reach kids at an age when peer pressure
and advertising might entice them to start smoking. The message includes information
about the effects of smoking and the deceptive appeal of tobacco advertising.
With the message coming from another young person instead of an adult -- someone
the elementary students may already admire in high school -- the message is more
readily accepted and students are more motivated to emulate the hero's behavior.
In addition, the hero learns leadership and presentation skills and gains increased
motivation to remain tobacco-free.
Why We Care
 The
American Lung Association's research, used for the development of the High School
Heroes program, indicates that our state has a large population of smokers and smokeless
tobacco users and that children are starting to smoke at an increasingly earlier
age. Research also indicates that an average of 3,000 children start smoking each
day, and more Arkansas children in grades 9-12 smoke than in 39 other states. This
information makes it imperative to reach children early and equip them with skills
to resist advertising appeals and peer pressure that entice them to begin smoking.
How To Schedule a Program
If you are interested in bringing High School Heroes to your county's schools, please
call the American Lung Association/Arkansas Chapter at 1-800-850-5864.
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