Inspiring Creativity, Tobacco Awareness with TUPE PSA Day

Middle school students across Kern County got a chance to flex their creative muscles today and spread a message of tobacco prevention at the same time, with an awareness campaign created by kids for kids. The Kern County Superintendent of Schools’ Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program teamed up with the Delano Union School District Friday to host a ‘PSA day’ at La Viña Middle School. The sixth through eighth-grade students, who are all active members of anti-tobacco clubs at four middle school campuses, worked together to write, draw, and animate short videos that will be shared with all the school sites.

“The students get to create their own storylines, their own art. They get to decide what animation will be included in their PSAs,” said Brianna Crosby, a coordinator with KCSOS. “It’s a fun, artistic day where the kids get to create whatever they like.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 10.1 percent of high school students and 5.4 percent of middle school students in the U.S. reported current use of tobacco products. E-cigarettes and vaping products are by far the most popular, making up nearly 70 percent of teen tobacco usage. Of those users, almost 80 percent reported using flavored e-cigarettes, such as fruit and candy. Linda Hinojosa, health services director for the Delano Union School District, says these flavored products can be enticing and dangerous to kids.

“The amount of tobacco that’s baked in is like a pack of cigarettes in one vape pen,” she said.

Overall, the use of all tobacco products among middle and high school students has been steadily declining over the years, thanks, in part, to prevention campaigns like TUPE. Hinojosa says getting the students engaged and involved in creating the anti-tobacco messaging allows them to reach their peers in a way that adults struggle with.

“This is a great way to get that messaging out,” she said. “Peers are an excellent way to deliver a more specific message, rather than an adult coming in and sitting at the front of the classroom and providing those messages.”

Students used construction paper, storyboards, and animation software to create their stop-motion animated videos. Each group had its own PSA and was responsible for bringing their creation to life from start to finish. Crosby, who hosted a similar event at El Tejon Middle School earlier this week, says the students are excited to work with this medium and use their imaginations.

“The students really get into it because it’s creating a media project, so they really enjoy it. There’s a lot of interest,” she said.

The videos will be shared on school websites and shown on campuses during Red Ribbon Week. Hinojosa hopes the success of this campaign will help build momentum and generate more interest surrounding tobacco awareness.

“I look forward to seeing the final product and recruiting the next generation of kids that are bringing that awareness up,” she said. “We definitely will look for funding, resources, and ways to continue this.”