Yumimi Pang
Northern News Services
Published Monday, June 16, 2008

IGLULIK - The decision to quit smoking is never an easy task, especially when you're in high school.

"Nowadays I see young kids smoking," said Nigel Quassa, 17. "It worries me because of what cancer can do and how they're going to suffer."

To address the issue, Quassa, a non-smoker, and fellow Grade 11 Ataguttaaluk school students Qajaaq Otak and Aaron Tulugarjuk decided to focus on an anti-tobacco poster campaign as their year-end social studies community project.

"It's essential that they're given the opportunity to transition from book-based learning to real life experiences. This is an innovative solution to developing real leadership skills in young Nunavummiut," said teacher Daniel Guay.

Quassa, Otak and Tulugarjuk are all members of Iglulik's ball hockey team and decided to use their reputations as athletes to sell the idea that quitting tobacco is the name of the game.

"It was hurting my lungs when I ran. I needed to quit to be a better hockey player," said Tulugarjuk, 17, who recently quit smoking.

Instead of focusing on tobacco's negative effects, the trio decided to focus on the positive, using students as role models. Each class chose their role models and they were all students who had decided to quit or were non-smokers. As a result, 35 posters were designed and printed featuring individual quotes that often incorporated sports, and the campaign was aided by a $3,000 grant from the Government of Nunavut.

Otak, 18, is featured on a poster that says, "I'm not smoking so I can beat Hall Beach," referring to the school's ball hockey rivals to the south.

As well, the trio banked on other high profile athletes at their school including Arctic Winter Games triple gold-winning wrestler, Alex Arnatsiaq.

Quassa, Otak and Tulugarjuk also decided to add to their knowledge by contacting Nadia Mike, an anti-tobacco facilitator with the Government of Nunavut.

"I feel it's very, very important to educate students," said Mike. "Make them understand the effects of tobacco use, then hopefully they'll make the right choices not to start smoking."

According to Mike, statistics show that about 65 per cent of Inuit smoke, compared to about 20 per cent of the general Canadian population. Also, nearly half of deaths in Nunavut are attributed to tobacco.

Mike thought the student-driven initiative was an excellent idea.

"Like everybody else, students need role models and I feel that these high school students are doing a good thing and hopefully the younger students will look up to them and have the poster campaign ongoing each year," she said.

Guay said it has been difficult to break the school's accepted culture of smoking and added that at the very least, the anti-smoking campaign will show that choosing not to smoke is a real option.

He pointed out that the students said it best on one of their posters: "FACT: the best athletes in Iglulik don't smoke."