Cheryl Red Bear

It was supposed to be a standard public service radio program. Cheryl Red Bear brought several students with her for her weekly radio program to speak about their involvement with the National Youth Smoke Prevention Program. Suddenly, however, one of the students spoke to her mother and grandmother in the listening audience, nearly sobbing, as she begged them to quit smoking. Other students joined in, naming their own family members and pleading, “We love you and hope you love us enough not to smoke in our homes. Have respect for our air.”

Si Tanka College’s Cooperative Extension Program initiated the smoking prevention program on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. The National 4-H Council provided a grant, training, and “Youth Empowered to be Tobacco-Free” curriculum. When the college hired Cheryl Red Bear as the education specialist, they couldn’t foresee how far reaching the impact would be, not just preventing young people from smoking but also convincing more than 20 adults to quit. A year later, adults tell her how good they feel getting up in the morning and being able to smell food.

For eight months, Red Bear drove to schools and summer camps all over the 2.7 million-acre reservation, taking the message to the kids of all ages, often on her own time. A single mother with five children and 3 grandchildren, Red Bear, 45, knows the interests of young people. For three years, she has volunteered to host a weekly, hour long youth talk show, which recently received an award from the KLND radio station.

More than 165 students went through all six chapters and 15 activities in the National 4-H Council curriculum. They played Jeopardy, answering questions such as what actor chain-smoked in this movie? They learned how to take control of their choices, make decisions based on solid information, and build partnerships with adults.

In a society where smoking is considered normal, the students suddenly started noticing how it was affecting their families, how it smelled, and deaths in their circles resulting from smoking. “To the kids, it was real personal,” said Marcella Gilbert, project director for the cooperative extension program at the tribal college. Empowered by their knowledge, the students went to a youth conference in Rapid City where they presented their anti-smoking message to over 500 other young people.

In 2001, the college plans to reach out to the community again with the 4-H curriculum. This time, the 4-H has changed it to target younger students and broadened it to include other healthy choices, such as how to deal with stress and make good decisions. Gilbert said that yes, they plan to bring Red Bear back on the team. Both Gilbert and Red Bear are members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and thus motivated to improve health amongst their people. Anyone interested in more information about the National 4-H Council program can call 301/ 961-2908 or check the website at <www.fourh.edu>. To contact Cheryl Red Bear or Marcella Gilbert, call the college at 605/ 964-8011.