“Too Good for Drugs,” is a 10 week grant-funded tobacco use prevention program sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY). VFHY leads statewide efforts to reduce and prevent youth tobacco use and childhood obesity. Too Good for Drugs is one of the classroom-based tobacco use prevention programs designed to teach Virginia’s youth about the negative effects of tobacco and other harmful substances on the body. During the period of July 1, 2012 thru June 30, 2013, our program served 77 youth between grades first through sixth. Out of the 77youth, 48 (62%) completed the program. To assess the impact of the material and the youth’s comprehension, the C. Waldo Scott Center administered a local pre & post evaluation. Our data reflects 37 out of the 48 youth (77%) who completed the program this period, showed significant improvement in knowledge of the impact of tobacco related products and curriculum specific material.
In addition to the Too Good for Drugs program, C. Waldo Scott Center facilitated a supplemental program under the VFHY initiative, the Youth Media Network (YMN). The YMN program was designed to encourage youth to advocate healthy lifestyle choices to their peers through creative multimedia driven initiatives. This program was facilitated with our 5th and 6th grade youth. These youth participants (18) produced and directed a video about the consequences of doing drugs. The video has been posted on YouTube for educational viewing purposes. To keep you abreast of the program efforts, we have incorporated our information with the Scott Center\’s Facebook page and website.