The National Organization site for
is located at:
http://www.TarWars.org
To learn more about Tar Wars, surf to the above website or
read a nice overview of the Tar Wars program below.
If this program is of interest to your school (and you are in the Roaring Fork
Valley of Colorado), please contact Dr. Kelly Locke
for more information.
Mission and Goals
The mission of Tar Wars is to educate students about being tobacco-free,
provide them with the tools to make positive decisions regarding their health,
and promote personal responsibility for their well-being. By utilizing a
community-based approach to mobilize family physicians, educators, and other
health care professionals, Tar Wars can accomplish its mission. Goals of the
program are to:
- Educate and motivate students to be tobacco-free.
- Mobilize health care professionals to become proactive in their
community’s health education.
- Encourage community involvement in support of the Tar Wars program.
About Tar Wars
Tar Wars is a tobacco-free education program for fourth- and fifth-grade
students. The program is designed to teach kids about the short-term,
image-based consequences of tobacco use, the cost associated with using
tobacco products, and the advertising techniques used by the tobacco industry
to market their products to youth. A follow-up poster contest is conducted at
the school, state, and national level to reinforce the Tar Wars message.
The program, which is owned and operated by the
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP),
is implemented in classrooms across the U.S. and abroad by committed volunteer
presenters such as family physicians, residents, and medical students; school
nurses; other health care professionals; educators; and community members.
Currently, 41 of the 55 AAFP constituent chapters and/or foundations are
directly supporting the program while another seven chapters are indirectly
involved.
Tar Wars is the only youth tobacco education program
offered at this time by a medical specialty organization in the United States
and reaches approximately 500,000 students annually. The program has been
active in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Uniformed Services,
and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, and
Saskatchewan.
Internationally, Tar Wars has been presented in
Australia, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo,
Macedonia, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Turkey, and the United
Kingdom. Presentation materials in Spanish are also available.
Since its inception in 1988, Tar Wars has touched the
lives of more than 7 million children worldwide!
Classroom Presentations
Tar Wars is a one-time, one-hour classroom presentation requiring minimal
preparation and follow-up. The program can be implemented at any time during
the school year, and the scripted lesson plan can easily be incorporated
into your classroom’s daily curriculum. The Tar Wars Program Guide is free
and can be downloaded directly from our Web site.
During the classroom presentation, students will engage
in a series of six interactive activities designed to increase their
knowledge of the short-term effects of tobacco use, help them identify
reasons why people use tobacco products, and prompt them to think critically
about tobacco advertising. Guest speakers, such as family physicians and
other health care professionals from your community, can be invited to
present Tar Wars to your classroom. You may also choose to have your school
nurse present the program or include it as part of wellness week or health
fair activities.
Tar Wars is consistent with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for School Health Programs to
Prevent Tobacco Use and is one of the building blocks in a comprehensive
tobacco prevention education plan.
