What do we do?

We are currently focussing on carrying out anti-tobacco education in the government schools of Nagpur city. The curriculum for this intervention has been developed by HRIDAY, a Delhi based NGO that is a leading light on tobacco control in India(1). The intervention has 4 components- 7 peer led classroom activities, 6 posters to be hung in the classrooms, a parental involvement component wherein 6 postcards are sent home to the parents and finally a peer leadership component, focussing on peer led health activism outside of the classroom, including competitions between classroom and schools. The entire intervention is usually carried out over a span of two months. An innovative aspect of the intervention is an activity format in which elected peer leaders facilitate small groups.
All these activities are conducted in grade 7. Middle school students are most vulnerable to the psycho-social risk factors associated with tobacco. Most adult tobacco users develop the habit before they turn 18, and early intervention to modify the risk factors is essential to obtain real benefit.
Reinforcement of the message in subsequent years is essential to help kids remain tobacco free. Therefore, we will implement appropriate strategies to ensure reinforcement when the first cohort of kids enter grade 8.
We ultimately aim to enhance the capacity of individual schools to implement a grade wise education curriculum so as to ensure sustainability of the program.


References-
1)http://www.hriday-shan.org