A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking
A new educational video for 6th – 12th grades
A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking
- Award-winning TV spots
- Live talk
- Photos
- Film clips
- Anti-tobacco graphics
- Teacher’s discussion guide
- Second free bonus video
- Notobacco.org for follow-up
A powerful, motivating new anti-smoking video
Hosted by motivational speaker and anti-smoking advocate Patrick Reynolds
HIGHLIGHTS
A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking is a multimedia presentation which helps youth stay tobacco free, and resist the onslaught of tobacco advertising and peer pressure. Mr. Reynolds’ anti-smoking talk also motivates students to make more responsible choices about drugs and alcohol, and offers clear examples of how to say no to friends who drink, smoke or use drugs. He also stresses the importance of talking about problems, and not isolating.
A personal story
Mr. Reynolds opens the video with a moving personal story about his own father’s death from smoking, when he was 15. This opens the hearts of many young viewers, and makes them more receptive to the anti-tobacco lessons which follow in the video.
Smoking is addictive
Mr. Reynolds impresses on students the extreme addictiveness of nicotine. “If I could give you one message today, it would be that cigarettes are addictive. Once you start, you may not be able to stop….”
What if cigarette advertising told the the truth?
The video opens students’ eyes to the reality of tobacco ad campaigns which have targeted them. Mr. Reynolds uses humorous anti-smoking spoofs of cigarette ads, such as Joe Camel, dying from cancer in a hospital bed. In the new video, he shows the three overheads below.
by Adbusters
About the anti-smoking “Malboro Country” ad above, he points out, “Here we see smokers gathered outside their office. Why? Because they aren’t welcome inside the building. Today, being a nonsmoker is the norm. If you smoke, you’re often just not welcome around other people.”
Chewing tobacco
In this powerful section, Mr. Reynolds shows the three anti-tobacco overheads below. The before-and-after photos of Sean Marsee are especially powerful and moving to student audiences watching the video. In this section, Mr. Reynolds tells Sean’s story, from the time when he was a popular high school athlete, to discovering his cancer, through the three operations which followed, each removing more of his tongue, nose, jaw and neck muscles. He concludes, “Sean died at age 19 from chewing tobacco — disfigured, sad and in terrible, unspeakable pain.” Telling this heartbreaking story is one of the most memorable parts of the video, and it consistently captivates high school and middle school audiences. Several health teachers have commented that Sean’s story has had a strong and lasting impact on their students.
Sean Marsee at age 17
Sean Marsee at age 19, just prior to his death
After telling this story, Mr. Reynolds goes on to reveal that the only reason self-service displays of tobacco have been placed on countertops everywhere is because the tobacco companies pay each store a monthly fee, for every display of tobacco. Often chewing tobacco is placed next to the candy or chewing gum!
The truth is, just a few years ago, almost none was using chewing tobacco. But many thousands of kids were deceived, and concluded the stores put the displays on counters because the product was really popular and selling well.
Seeing these displays daily for years, right on the countertop at child eye level, made tobacco look like any other normal product. Eventually these displays of “spit tobacco” got many teens’ curiosity up. Thousands tried it, and then got addicted, like Sean.
A USA Today anti-smoking column wrote that Patrick Reynolds’ presentation of Sean Marsee’s story “was probably the most effective argument I found online.”
Smoking in movies and TV
Pierce Brosnan, now an anti-smoking role model, posed for Lark ads which ran in Japan. But Brosnan saw the error of his ways, and has since shown tremendous leadership in the Hollywood community. He swore he would smoke no more in his appearances as James Bond. In a dramatic turnabout, he has set a strong example for other stars, and has become a valuable ally of anti-smoking groups fighting for the anti-tobacco cause.
Charlie Sheen’s ad for Parliament ran in Japan. Shame on Mr. Sheen! He set a bad example for youth who look up to him.
“I would not advocate censoring the movies,” says Mr. Reynolds in the video, “but let’s deliver a dose of healthy shame to Hollywood stars who have smoked in films.” He names several stars who have irresponsibly glamorized smoking on screen, and creates a new perception of the stars who make smoking look cool to kids.
A Talk With Your Kids About Smoking contains a unique initiation into life, to help prepare students to better deal with tough moments in their lives. Near the conclusion, Mr. Reynolds revives the ancient tradition of initiating youth. Mr. Reynolds says, “The core message of my brief initiation today is this: life brings everyone painful moments and obstacles. It’s designed to be that way. It’s by our struggles to succeed against adversity that we build our character, and define who we are. It’s by staying with whatever difficulty life throws at us that we heal, and solve our problems — not by running away.
“Many adults run away from their pain by using cigarettes, food, alcohol, drugs, TV, or even work. A lot of teens use music. So the message of this initiation today is that when these moments come, don’t escape into these. Instead, stay with your uncomfortable feelings, and begin to solve the problem. Do the work — don’t take the easy path. Only a baby gets instant gratification! Adults have to delay it and wait for it….
“And don’t isolate and do this alone. Talk about what’s bothering you to your parents, a trusted teacher, or the school counselor. It’s by talking about our difficulties to another person that we heal, and resolve problems. Life gets tough at times, but you can do it!”
In a time of anxiety about the years to come, inspiring renewed faith in the future
“I have a cool new reason to take care of my health.”
To counter a recent trend of anxiety and worry among youth, especially since September 11, 2001, Patrick Reynolds offers an inspiringmessage of hope for the future, aimed at motivating students to “hold on to your health, for the amazing, wondrous years ahead.”
Recent studies show that large numbers of today’s teens suffer from anxiety about the future, and that they frequently have a keen sense of diminished expectations. Mr. Reynolds concluded that in the face of an uncertain tomorrow, many teens, especially those at risk, may be more inclined to smoke, drink, use drugs and engage in other unsafe behavior.
The tragic bombings of September 11th, 2001, have sadly heightened their anxiety and doubts about the future. Large numbers of teens may take the attitude, “There’s no future for me,
so I may as well smoke or try drugs, and have as much fun as possible now!” In fact, between 1988 and 1998, in fact, there was a 73% increase in teen smoking ( it has declined slightly since 1998).
To counteract this troubling trend, in the video Mr. Reynolds addresses tobacco ad campaigns that targeted youth, and smoking in movies and TV. But he also delivers an inspirational message of hope for the future. “If teens have a stronger outlook about the future,” he reasons, “they will be more motivated to take care of their health.” He shares his own “rock-solid faith that the future holds wonderful things for all of us.” He rallies the audience to stay tobacco-free, drug-free and alcohol-free, and points out that, “You are going to need your health in the great and amazing times ahead! So don’t smoke, don’t drink, and don’t use drugs. You’re going to need your health — every bit of it — in the wondrous, amazing years ahead.”
WHY THIS ANTI-TOBACCO VIDEO IS UNIQUE
Healing after 9-11
Since September 11th, we have seen increased anxiety and worry among youth. Studies show this trend started in the early 1990’s.
One part of our video directly addresses students’ doubts and fears about the future, and aims to restore their positive feelings about the years ahead.
This five minute section was originally created with the idea that increasing students’ faith in the future would give them a strong new motivation to stay tobacco-free and drug-free, and to “hold on to your health, for the amazing and wondrous years ahead.”
Below is some additional info on this unique section of our video.
- Tragically, from 1988 to 1998, there was a huge 73% upsurge in teen smoking. Why? What are the new factors are influencing today’s teens?Mr. Reynolds addresses the most widely accepted causes of this huge increase in teen smoking, which are tobacco advertising campaigns targeting youth, and smoking by stars in movies and TV. He talks about smoking by Hollywood icons, and the attractive models in tobacco ads. He uses hilarious anti-smoking spoofs of cigarette ads, such as Joe Camel in a hospital bed. He shows heartbreaking before-and-after photos of Sean Marsee, who died from chewing tobacco at age 19 — disfigured, sad and in pain. He strongly warns about the addictiveness of tobacco.
But he also devotes a four minute section of his video to a new issue, which no one has addressed before.
- Mr. Reynolds believes the new worry among youth helped fuel the 1990’s rise in teen smoking.In a recent paper for the Stanford University Medical Review, Mr. Reynolds advances a new theory. He points to 1994 market research by Coca-Cola, which shows that great numbers of young people suffer from “intense anxiety about the future, and an acute sense of diminished expectations.” (Time, May 30, 1994) Today 50% of children ages 9-17 worry about dying young. (Yankelovitch Partners Study, Time, May 3, 1999) Believing they face bleak prospects, says Mr. Reynolds, many teens want to have fun now, before an uncertain future arrives. He believes this attitude has substantially contributed to the dramatic recent increase in the teen smoking rate, to increased drug use, and to the rise of binge drinking on college campuses. Since the video was made, teens’ faith in the future has been further eroded by the tragic September 11th bombings in 2001.
- To address this problem, he devotes five minutes in Part 2 of the new video to motivating youth to believe more strongly in the future.He makes five points. First, he teaches students to talk about their worries and doubts to a trusted teacher, the school counselor, their parents, and friends. Second, he teaches them to think more positively, and gives them real-life examples of positive thinking. Third, he asks the audience to reevaluate what real wealth is, and questions whether wealth is just about material things.
Fourth, he shares his own strong faith that the 21st century will be a truly extraordinary time. He concludes by sharing his own “rock-solid
faith that the future holds wonderful things!” He rallies the audience to stay tobacco-free, drug-free and alcohol-free, and points out that, “You are going to need your health in the incredible years ahead. So don’t throw your life away on cigarettes, drugs or alcohol! Be a citizen of the 21st century, not the 20th. Hold on to your health, for the amazing, wondrous years before us!”Increasing students’ faith in the future gives them a new reason to stay tobacco-free and drug-free, and helps motivate youth to hold on to their health. And now, in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, this section has the added value of helping restore and heal worried students’ shaken faith in the future.
- An initiation into life to prepare students to better deal with tough moments in their lives. “The core message here is that at times, life brings everyone painful moments and obstacles,” he says. “When these moments come, don’t escape by using tobacco, drugs, alcohol, food or music. Instead, stay with your uncomfortable feelings, and begin to solve the problem. And don’t isolate and do this alone. Talk about it to your parents, a trusted teacher, or the school counselor. It’s by talking about our difficulties to another person that we heal, and resolve difficulties. Life gets tough at times, and you can do it!”
- Emphasizes the addictiveness of nicotine
- Opens students’ eyes to tobacco advertising and how it can manipulate teens
- Creates a new perception of smoking in TV and films by movie stars
- Motivates teens to resist peer pressure to smoke
- Offers clear examples of how to say no
- Empowers students to make more responsible choices about drugs and alcohol
- Stresses the importance of talking to others about problems, and not isolating
- A lively mix of award-winning TV spots, live talk, film clips, photos and anti-smoking graphics
- Divided into two 20 minute segments, to allow time for class discussion
- Teacher’s discussion guide included
- Offers students a great website for follow-up study, www.notobacco.org
Photo by Visible Light / Mickey Krakowski
ABOUT PATRICK REYNOLDS
Patrick Reynolds’ appearances in the national media and before Congress have made this grandson of tobacco company magnate R.J. Reynolds an internationally known and respected anti-smoking advocate. Mr. Reynolds saw his father, oldest brother, and other relatives die from cigarette induced emphysema and lung cancer.
Concerned about the mounting health evidence against tobacco, in 1986 he became the first tobacco industry figure to turn his back on the cigarette companies. In the words of former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, “Patrick Reynolds is one of the nation’s most influential advocates of a Tobaccofree Earth.”
Mr. Reynolds founded Tobaccofree Earth in 1989. The same year, his book, The Gilded Leaf, was published by Little, Brown. It is in now available in paperback, through BackinPrint.com.
A dynamic motivational speaker, Mr. Reynolds entertains, educates and inspires audiences. Patrick Reynolds has addressed Congress, State legislatures, major associations, health conferences, universities, and numerous high and middle schools. His appearances in the international press include profiles by Time, Newsweek, AP, UPI, NBC’s Tom Brokaw, CBS’ Dan Rather, ABC World News, CNN Headline News, and numerous features by the world’s major dailies. He has also made memorable TV appearances on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Larry King, ABC’s Nightline, Phil Donahue, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous other national and international television and radio shows. Mr. Reynolds has devoted his life to furthering the goal of a smokefree society, and to motivating young people to stay tobacco free.
In hundreds of live anti-tobacco talks before universities, and anti-smoking assembly programs before high and middle schools, he has reminded many thousands of students of the dangers of tobacco. This video captures and memorializes Patrick Reynolds’ live talk for grades 7 – 12.
Past Lecture Clients
- The United Nations World Health Organization, Geneva
- The United States House of Representatives
- The American Cancer Society
- The American Heart Association
- The American Lung Association
- Marion, Merrell, Dow Pharmaceuticals
- Ciba Geigy Pharmaceuticals
- Lederle Pharmaceuticals
- Numerous Universities and Colleges
- The American Council on Science and Health
- The National Cancer Institute
- The California Medical Association
- The National Foundation for Cancer Research
- The American Respiratory Association
- Numerous High Schools and Middle Schools, nationally
- Numerous State Legislatures and City Councils, including New York City,San Francisco, Los Angeles & Washington DC
What the Media Say
“Reynolds’ knowledge and insights made it easier for our audience to understand complex issues.”
CNN, Gail Evans
“He was an articulate and formidable guest.”
Good Morning America, Susan Hester
“Patrick is informative, unique, dedicated, and effective.”
ABC Talk Radio, Michael Jackson
“Thank you for your encore appearance on Larry King Live! It was terrific!”
Larry King Live, Larry King
“More than 700 members of the American Cancer Society stood and cheered!”
The Miami Herald
Past Media Interviews
SC Legislature Press Conference
Time
Newsweek
Tom Brokaw: NBC Nightly News
ABC World News
CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
CNN Headline News
The Today Show
Good Morning America
Oprah Winfrey Show
Phil Donahue Show
The Yolanda Show
Merv Griffin
Geraldo Rivera
U.S.A. Today
Associated Press
Larry King Live
MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour (PBS)
CNN Evening News
P.M. Magazine
CBS Night Watch
ABC Nightline
CBS Morning News
All Things Considered
A Current Affair
Late Night with Tom Snyder
ABC’s “Day’s End”
CBS Early Morning News
Michael Jackson Talkradio
Sonja Live
CNBC
CBS Morning Program
CNN Prime News
CBS Morning Show
WOR TV “People are Talking”
WGN Radio
CNBC, America’s Talking
Ray Briem, ABC Radio
CBS Radio Network
NBC Radio Network
ABC Radio Network
AP Radio briefs
Gannett Radio
Tom Snyder
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
Scripps-Howard Wire Service
Fox News Channel (debates on O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and
Combes)
CNN Talkback Live
New York Newsday
The Boston Times-Herald
The Charlotte Observer
USA Today
International Herald Tribune
People Magazine
Saturday Evening Post
CBN “700 Club” (CBN)
The Star
Mother Jones
East West (Cover story)
United Press International
U.S. News and World Report
Wall Street Journal
U.S.A. Weekend Magazine
Venture Magazine
Fortune Magazine
Forbes Magazine
Financial News Network’s “Focus”
Dick Cavett (Cable NBC)
The New York Times
The New York Times Wire Service
The Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune Wire Service
The Chicago Sun Times
The Los Angeles Times
The Washington Post
The Washington Post Wire Service
The Detroit Free Press
The Detroit News
The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta Business Journal
The San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco Examiner
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald Wire Service
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe Wire Service
Copley Newswire
The Dallas Morning News
The Houston Chronicle
The Seattle Post
The Oregonian
WGN TV, Evening News
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Christian Science Monitor
The Raleigh News and Observer
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Richmond News-Leader
Minneapolis Star and Tribune
The St. Louis Post Dispatch
Arkansas Gazette
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Canadian Wire Service
The Montreal Gazette
The Toronto Sun
Videotron Montreal
TV Ontario
The Sunday Telegraph (London)
The Sunday Times (London)
The London Times
The Globe and Mail (London)
The Daily Express (London)
The Daily Mail (London)
Der Speigel (Germany)
Bunte Magazine (Germany)
ZDF TV (Germany)
Sud TV (Germany)
AZ-Munchen (Germany)
Abenzeitung (Germany)
Bildzeitung (Germany)
Reuters Newswire
The Australian Sun Herald
Australia National Radio
De Morgan (Belgium)
La Liberation (France)
Paris Match (France)
Jours De France
Le Monde (France)
Le Figaro (France)
Agence France Presse
Yomiuri New (Tokyo)
Shinbun (Tokyo)
Hola Magazine (Spain)
Husmodern (Sweden)
Straits Times (Singapore)
Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Voice of America (VOA)
TV Asahi (Thailand)
The Bangkok Post (Thailand)
The San Diego Union
The Los Angeles Times
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Live assembly programs Hospitals often fully sponsor live talks.