Tar Wars Program

A Partnership in Youth Education
American Academy of Family Physicians

What is Tar Wars?
Tar Wars is a free, award winning, youth tobacco-free education program and poster contest for fourth and/or fifth grade students.

The Tar Wars program has two components:

The first component is an interactive classroom presentation.  Students learn the short-term effects of tobacco use, the cost of using tobacco products and the misleading advertising tactics used by the tobacco industry to encourage tobacco use by youth.
The lesson is fast, fun and easy to present.

 Program Guide and Other Presentation Material:
www.tarwars.org/x816.xml

The second component is a poster contest.  After the lesson, the students are given the opportunity to create posters with a positive message about avoiding tobacco.  Each school holds a local poster contest and enters their winning poster into the state contest.  Both fourth and fifth grade winning posters can be entered into the state poster contest.  The winning poster from each state is entered in the national Tar Wars Poster Contest, sponsored by the American Academy of Family Physicians.  

About the Poster Contest: www.tarwars.org/ poster.xml
Poster Contest Guidelines: www.tarwars.org/x875.xml

Mission

To educate children about being tobacco free, thereby providing them with the tools to make positive decisions regarding their health and to promote personal responsibility for their well being. 

Goals 

• Educate and motivate children to be tobacco free.
• Mobilize health care professionals to become proactive in their community's health education.
• Encourage community involvement with and support of the Tar Wars Program.

For Tars Wars information please contact:
Dave Wattenbarger
Tobacco Use Prevention Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health
1000 NE 10th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299
Phone: (405) 271-3619
DaveW@health.ok.gov

Tobacco Use Prevention Service

Presenter Sign-up

School Sign-up

National Tar Wars

School Programs