American Lung Association Offers Scholarships to Help Teens Quit Tobacco in Arkansas

One in five high school students in Arkansas currently use a tobacco product and may be on a path towards lifelong nicotine addiction. To address the growing problem of teen tobacco use in Arkansas, the American Lung Association and the Arkansas Tobacco Education Initiative (ARTEI) is pleased to offer 40 scholarships for vaping and tobacco cessation facilitator training to schools, youth groups, civic organizations and faith-based organizations. The deadline to apply is June 1.

The scholarships are for the Lung Association’s N-O-T® (Not On Tobacco) Youth Cessation Facilitator Training. The program uses an evidence-based approach to help teens quit or reduce their tobacco use.

“Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Arkansas and across the country. Tragically, 95% of people who use tobacco products started using before the age of 21,” said Sierra Whitbey, specialist, Health Promotions at the Lung Association. “N-O-T® gives teens the resources they need to break nicotine dependency. We’re seeking local partners to join us in supporting our teens and providing them with the tools to lead healthier lives.”

N-O-T® is an interactive, in-person program that gives teens the help they need to break the addiction to vaping, smoking or chewing tobacco. The Facilitator Training Course consists of 10 online modules that cover the health effects of tobacco use, complex issues around youth vaping and tobacco use and how to implement the program effectively. After completion of the training course, the facilitator is required to host at least one N-O-T® program per year. The scholarship is a $400 value. Certification is valid for three years.

Approximately 90 percent of teens who participate in N-O-T® cut back or quit tobacco all together. Past participants also have been shown to have better grades, higher motivation, fewer absences, better relationships with teachers and fewer school tobacco use policy violations.

N-O-T® has been named a Model Program by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Department of Justice and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services. N-O-T® was also named a Research-Tested Intervention Program by the National Cancer Institute and received the CDC Award for Research Innovation.

For more information about scholarships for the N-O-T® Facilitator Training Course, contact Sierra Whitbey at sierra.whitbey@lung.org.