SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The anti smoking campaign "don't be a butthead - be smoke free," is gearing up for the upcoming school year.

Butthead role models in the 2009/2010 campaign at Range Lake North school, from left, Trisha Cruz, Lauren Modeste, Maggie Works, Holly Baker, and Autumn Beamer show off their Butthead gear, letting everybody know they're smoke-free. - photo courtesy of Julie Bennett-Coad

"The smoking rate in the north is double the national average," said Claudia Richea, Health and Social Services prevention Services Cessation Project Coordinator.

"Youth start early in the north, the Department of the health thought their was a need, so the 'don't be a butthead campaign' was initiated and it's been largely successfully since then."

The campaign was launched in May of 2004 and is aimed at eight to 14 year-olds kids who have committed to remain smoke-free and get a renewal notice each year to re-commit to the program. The program targets kids who haven't started smoking and gives reasons to why they shouldn't start.

"The campaign is just fun," said Richea. "The kids learn in an interactive way."

Through the campaign's mascot– "Butthead" the cigarette butt, kids learn facts about health and smoking, hear stories from role models and people affected by tobacco and are challenged to make a commitment to be smoke free.

According to Richea, during their 2009-2010 campaign 2,245 youth made a commitment to be smoke free in the Northwest Territories.

The campaign is now gearing up for the new school year where Richea said they will be planning to launch a new website and going on the road to visit different schools.

She said that the good thing about the campaign is it does go out to the various communities in the territory to reach the kids it targets.

Two weeks ago the anti-smoking presentation was made to the youth at the SideDoor Youth Centre.

"I thought it was a neat presentation," said Kyra Pederson, summer camp coordinator at the youth centre. "The kids learned a lot from it."

The presentation had games including one where youth had to match up chemicals in cigarettes to what else they are usually found in.

"It gave them a hands on learning experience," said Pederson. "By the end of the presentation they were full of questions."

Dylan Dwojak, 10, one of the youth at the youth centre liked the presentation and has made the commitment twice to be a non-smoker.

"Smoking is bad for you," said Dwojak. "It makes you sick and then you die."

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