Do you think that school children are not affected by smoking? Radek Pospisil knows, that this is one of the hot topics, therefore he opens a discussion with children about smoking and nicotine addiction. The frightening facts speak for themselves.
Thanks to Radek’s experiment, children can visually see what settles in a smoker’s lungs.
“I will tell you what I found out on this topic. Then, you can tell me what you know about it…” This is how the experienced HY Worker Radek Pospisil openly and helpfully entered the program about the harmfulness of cigarettes and nicotine. Today he visited the sixth grade of the local primary school. The style of the program is “non-directive”. Radek does not aim to convince his listeners of his truth or opinion at any cost. On the contrary, he presents empirically verified facts and kindly discusses everything with the pupils. The sixth graders are also very close to the way he “demonstrates the evidence”: practical examples of the harmful effects of tar on the lungs; proof using a cigarette and a piece of cloth – what tar was able to create after smoking a certain number of cigarettes; YouTube spots, in which their favorite influencers describe to children a journey of cigarettes in the human body.
Everyone gets to speak. Radek and children discuss their “first experience” with cigarettes and tobacco products.
The children are drawn into the story.
In small groups, they work together to come up with answers to questions like: “Why do people do drugs?” etc. In their answers, they often sadly describe situations from their own homes: “My mom, when she is nervous, she always goes outside to smoke.” or: “My mother is out of mind when she has nothing to smoke.” or: “My sister is a junior in high school and she has three shoeboxes full of nicotine bags at home…”
At their age, they are already well aware of what addiction does to others and what it triggers in themselves.
No question is silly. Children can ask really anything. Questions are anonymous, nothing to worry about.
Radek also touches on the problem of advertising – he shows children, how it works and what effect it has on the audience. Finally, we look at a very topical issue, that plagues today’s youth, namely chewing tobacco and kratom products.
It is clear, that the pupils, already in relatively young age, have heard a lot about the subject and are used to discussing it. That is why, at the end of the program, which passed very quickly, you can feel that Radek tries to enrich children with new perspectives and ways of thinking about things, which may significantly affect their lives in the future. I am thankful that I could be a part of this.
Again, I realized the diversity and variety of the HY Workers supported by the INCZ, both in the topics they talk about with the young generation, and in their approaches. But they have one thing in common, which could be summarized in a sentence: “We are here for you. We care about your lives!”
Martin Stavjanik, the Authorized Supervisor of the HY Program workers
