A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking

We also offer a new educational video licensed for showing in schools:
The Truth About Tobacco

and

Live assembly programs

A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking follows CDC guidelines, and helps empower youth to stay tobacco free and drug free. View this video together with your children, and use the included Parent’s Discussion Guide to discuss and review afterwards.

This multimedia presentation has award-winning TV spots, film clips, photos and graphics, and includes a live talk by Patrick Reynolds to 1,000 ninth graders.

The video emphasizes the addictiveness of nicotine, and opens students’ eyes to how tobacco advertising manipulates youth. In this new video, tobacco ads from 2006 are shown for Camels with candy flavorings, such as ‘Warm Winter Toffee’, ‘Kauai Kolada’, and ‘Winter Mocha Mint’.

Also shown are KOOL’s cigarettes packages with drawings of hip hop artists, rappers and DJ’s on the cigarette pack. One KOOL pack even shows a youth party going on on the package.

Reynolds tells the 9th grade audience that the tobacco industry knows that 90% of all US smokers became addicted before reaching age 19, and almost no one starts after age 19 — so they have targeted youth in many ad campaigns.

The video also creates a new perception of smoking in films, and asks students to be aware that stars are setting a bad example for them every time they make smoking look cool onscreen.

A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking also motivates teens to resist peer pressure; it provides them with a clear formula for saying no. It also empowers students to make more responsible choices about drugs and alcohol.

Reynolds stresses more than once the importance of talking to others about quitting smoking or about other concerns, and not isolating. He urges students to “Stay with what’s bothering you, and talk to others about it — a trusted teacher, your parents, your friends, or the school counselor. Don’t try to solve it alone.” This is a recurring theme.

Mr. Reynolds also employs storytelling in the video. He skillfully tells the dramatic story of Sean Marsee, a promising high school track star who started using chewing tobacco in his mid teens, became addicted and died of mouth and jaw cancer at age 19. In the video Reynolds shows heartbreaking before-and-after photos of the boy, who lived in Oklahoma in the 1970’s. This section makes a very compelling case, especially to younger children, to avoid tobacco.

Reynolds also offers youth a unique, informal initiation into life. “Thousands of years ago, elders would take youth into the forest or desert and make their lives uncomfortable for a few days, depriving them of sleep or food, and putting obstacles in their path. Don’t worry, I won’t do that today,” he tells them. “What the elders were trying to say is that life will bring difficulties and obstacles, and it’s painful at times. Today, as I welcome you a little closer to the world of adults, I want to gently let you know that life brings all adults difficulties. And when the hard moments come, sadly, some turn to alcohol or tobacco — or drugs, which will destroy your life! Instead, talk to your parents, a trusted teacher, your friends, or the school counselor. Connect with another person, and together we will solve the problem.”

Studies show that today’s teens have significantly increased worries and doubts about the future. They remember September 11th, and hear about global warming, bird flu and war in the Middle East. Mr. Reynolds believes the new worry among our youth is a significant factor in teen smoking and drug use. To address this, he includes a unique section near the end of the video which aims to strengthen teens’ faith in the future. “Catch my faith that there are wondrous times ahead, and you’ll need your health, every precious bit of it, in the incredible years ahead of you. So don’t smoke, and don’t drink, and don’t use drugs — because the future is looking amazing. I close with this promise: the Smokefree society is coming one day — and it’s coming because of you. You are the future, and I believe in you.”

Rave reviews

Russell Henke, Evaluator of Health Education Materials in Montgomery County, Maryland, sent this message to Tobacco Use Prevention Coordinators in Maryland:

“I have recently reviewed and evaluated a tobacco use prevention video that I would like to tell you about, A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking, which features Patrick Reynolds. He is a grandson of RJ Reynolds, and a renowned tobacco prevention speaker at schools throughout the nation.

“This video, which shows a live talk to high school students by Mr. Reynolds, is a compelling and honest overview of the health problems caused by tobacco. The video is an excellent fit with our high school unit on tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. It meets all of our factual information objectives on tobacco use. It is the best and most up-to-date video on the topic of teen and adult tobacco use. It has no weaknesses! In my opinion, after viewing many similar videos, it is the best video available.

“As a result of our review and evaluation, we are purchasing this video for all of our high schools. We are also thinking of bringing Patrick Reynolds in to speak to our students live
and are now exploring getting sponsorship through the local County health department and/or our local hospitals. Evidently hospitals like cosponsoring, because he gets good local media
coverage, which builds goodwill for them. I feel so positive about this program that I wanted to share this information with you.”

Russell Henke
Evaluator of Health Education materials
Montgomery County Public Schools
Montgomery County, Maryland

_________ Patrick Reynolds — the grandson of R. J. Reynolds — is amazingly effective: drawing on his natural charisma and the weight of his family name, Reynolds delivers a message that is both persuasive and empowering. Going beyond the usual anti-smoking patter to focus on the root causes of teenage smoking — targeted advertising and peer pressure — Reynolds paints tobacco pushers as corporate adults deliberately hoodwinking kids into trying cigarettes or snuff. Talking about positive thinking and motivation, Reynolds acknowledges adolescent fears and desires, and tells his audience bluntly, that sure, teen life is painful, but the ongoing struggle shapes character. An accompanying discussion guide offers suggestions for talking with your child (or students) about tobacco use. Highly recommended.

Video Librarian, The Video Magazine for Libraries

“This video had a huge impact on my kids. I have shown it to all of my PE kids — 6th and 8th grade — and they were enthralled. I’ve never had 42 children in a portable classroom so quietly at the same time! We were so moved that many different activities stemmed from the viewing, and I am wrapping up the Tobacco unit with two days in our computer lab, going on a virtual field trip and taking a Webquest. I am grateful for this video.”

Carol Carey, PE teacher
Dartmouth Middle School
San Jose, CA

Live assembly programs

Hospitals often sponsor Patrick Reynolds’ live talks.
Click here for who to call, and talking points.