TPCP and Office of Oral Health Partner with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs Program - October 2nd, 2009
Staff from the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (TPCP) and Office of Oral Health (OOR) are in the process of developing a partnership with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s (AGFC) Hooked on Fishing – Not on Drugs Program (HOFNOD). This partnership will reach students in many of Arkansas’ rural communities to encourage them to never start smoking or using smokeless tobacco products. The HOFNOD program promotes fishing as a lifelong activity for students as an alternative to harmful behaviors.
HOFNOD is a national fishing promotion effort of the Future Fisherman Foundation of Alexandria, VA. It began in Arkansas in 1997 as a joint effort between the Governor’s Office, AGFC and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). HOFNOD is school-based and targets children in kindergarten through the 12th grade. It promotes fishing as a lifelong activity that students can share with family and friends. With fishing as a focus, students can avoid drug use and other harmful behaviors.
The HOFNOD program is implemented through fishing clubs run by teachers. HOFNOD staff provide educational curriculum, training, technical assistance and support to ensure that the fishing clubs are running efficiently. Currently, HOFNOD has clubs in 100 schools throughout Arkansas with memberships ranging between 30 and 700. In 2010, the program expects to reach 15,000 youth, many of whom reside in rural areas.
For TPCP and OOR, a partnership with HOFNOD will be a key strategy for educating youth about the dangers of smokeless tobacco. According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation (STATE) System, Arkansas ranks third in the use of smokeless tobacco (5 percent), outranked only by Wyoming (7.2 percent) and West Virginia (5.9 percent).
Through the HOFNOD partnership, TPCP and OOR will provide an educational toolkit to teachers in 100 schools. Materials will include a fact sheet detailing the dangers of smokeless tobacco, brochures, posters, pledge forms, give-aways and other materials. The project will also partner to provide an intensive workshop to AGFC wild life officers, many of whom host events in rural Arkansas. Educational materials will be given away during these events. To learn more about the partnership or how you can get involved, contact Miriam Karanja at miriam.karanja@arkansas.gov.
