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The Citizen, 2005-10-06, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2005. Author warns tobacco companies target teens Scary stats Author Georgina Lovell gives a presentation to Madill Secondary School on Tuesday, Sept. 27. F.E. Madill School in Monday, Sept, you’re smarter By Heather Crawford Citizen staff Georgina Lovell took the information she collected about the effects of smoking and brought it to schools in Huron County last week. Most of the information can be found in her book You Are the Target: Big Tobacco, Lies, Scams -Now the Truth published in 1998. She’s already working on You Are the Target 2 because, “there’s just so much more to do.” she said. The presentation was full of shocking and disturbing images, interviews and information. At certain points Lovell had to warn students who might become easily queasy to look away. Lovell said the reaction she gets the most from students is “I just didn’t know.” It’s not a surprising acclamation. The information that Lovell presents strongly contradicts all of the images of smoking present in the media today. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Lovell said of the statistics and research in her book “(The tobacco companies’) own story.” Lovell said she wants younger people to be aware of the tactics of the tobacco industry. “It’s really about awareness,” she said. Most of her presentations are to high school students but she also speaks with younger kids. “It’s never too early (to learn about the dangers of smoking),” she said. “Even if parents are smoking in the home, they can talk to their kids and go outside. I've found that example is the best teacher.” Lovell decided to delve into the research of cigarette smoking and tobacco companies after losing her father to lung cancer and watching her mother grow ill due to smoking. Lovell herself admitted to having smoked in her past. “1 hope you don’t get sucked in like 1 did,” she said to a group of Grade 10 and presentation. documents tell the students at Secondary Wingham on 26. “I hope than that.” Lovell doesn’t feel it’s necessary to berate or punish kids who choose to smoke. “I’m not against smokers,” she said. “I just want to bring awareness.” Her prime target is the tobacco companies. She displayed a document to the students about a project created by a tobacco company to target young people titled, “Project Scum.” “That’s how they see you,” Lovell said to thecgroup of 15- year-olds, some of whom looked appalled. Most of Lovell’s presentation is made up of film clips of people who had smoked for years and were suffering from failing health. Most were no longer living. She explained the effects of chewing tobacco by showing an interview with a man who lost both sides of his jaw from cancer. F.E. Madill principal, Jim Ryan spoke to the group after Lovell’s presentation about his own study comparing the marks of those students he knew to be smoking with those who did not. Ryan said he found the kids who smoked lost an average of two and one half credits compared to didn’t. Rob Marriott student said he there is a lot of smoking on campus. When asked if he learned a lot from the resentation, Marriott said, “no, not really.” He said it didn’t change what he already knew about smoking.” Grade 10 student Maitland Underwood said he found the presentation very informative. “The story about the guy who had his jaw removed [was very shocking].” “They should start teaching kids earlier so if an eight­ year-old sees someone smoking and thinks it’s cool, they will know they they those who a Grade 10 doesn’t feel Grade 10 students at F.E. (Heather Crawford photo) could die or that they might not be able to talk again. It might persuade them not to start.” Darby Alcorn, another Grade 10 student said chewing tobacco is big in the high school community lately. “[The presentation] covered most of the areas that pertained to us,” she said. “I The Minister of Finance may end the sale of bonds at any time. • Canada Savings Bonds offer competitive rates, no fees and are guaranteed to grow. They may also be held in your RRSP. ♦ You can choose the Canada Savings Bond, which is cashable at any time, or the Canada Premium Bond, which has a higher interest rate. ■ ♦ Both bonds are available’ wherever you bank or invest, by camrK^^8^7^999 or online at www.csb.qc.ca • The Canada Savings Bond may also be bought through easy payroll deduction. Underwood majority of who smoke most of the know more people who chew than smoke.” Alcorn and agreed that the high school kids now have heard arguments not to, and won’t stop because of the presentation. Cindy Appleby, a Grade 11 student who smokes said quitting isn’t as - easy as people think. “You can substitute cigarettes with candy or something to hold for awhile but eventually you get bored with that and then you see other kids smoking and you start smoking again too.” Carly Sangster, a Grade 10 student said she has tried quitting and none of her attempts have stuck yet. Both Appleby and Sangster said they smoke roughly a half a pack a day. “They should have more [realistic] ads like people on life suppport or with an oxygen tank,” Appleby said to deter younger people from starting. Appleby said she was given an oxygen mask, diagnosed with asthma and advised to quit smoking by her doctors already. “Smokers cough is - the worst,” she said. Sangster admitted to getting headaches and not being able to keep up in phys ed class. “We were supposed to r.un today,” she said. “And I could barely finish a lap.” Both students said they began smoking because of peer pressure. “I didn’t really have a lot of friends back then,” Appleby said, “and I saw a whole bunch of people smoking out at the pit and so I started so that I could talk to them.” Sangster also admits that peer pressure played a part in her decision to begin. “I think a lot of people smoke because they think it's cool,” she said. “You might think people out here (at the designated smoking spot across from campus) are cool but you could probably outrun most of them,” Appleby said Olivia Kegue, a Grade 10 student said she took her school work into consideration when she decided not to smoke. “It can really affect you, academically.” she said. “And school is really important to me.” Lovell created “Project Moving Target” that pairs a young, school-age child with a teenager who acts as a mentor and teaches about the effects of smoking. She has been asked to travel around Canada and the United States, speaking on what she has learned about the dangers of smoking. Target A student from F.E. Madill Secondary School sits outside of the school property smoking after class. Author Georgina Lovell said youths are the target of tobacco companies. Project Scum is a campaign targetting young people, she told a group of Madill students recently. (Heather Crawford photo)