MAPLETON, Maine — Recently, Aroostook County Action Program Tobacco Educators Dawn Roberts and Jo-Ellen Kelley held a two-day training for Mapleton Girl Scout Troop # 1133. The program, called Sidekicks, trains teens to provide respectful, helpful conversations around quitting with peers who use tobacco.
ACAPs tobacco staff are trained to provide this program to youth and hold certifications as Sidekicks Master trainers. The class and all materials are provided free of charge. Teaching the Sidekicks training can be approached in a variety of ways: It can be taught as a full one-time session, four to four and a half hours, or in multiple sessions. After completing the training, teens will be able to: identify basic tobacco facts, know where and how to initiate a helpful conversation with a peer who uses tobacco, distinguish between a helpful conversation and a non-helpful one, use active listening, know when and how to get help if a peer shares critical information not related to tobacco and more.
If you have a group of teens age 11-18 that would like to participate in the Sidekicks training, please reach out to Dawn Roberts at droberts@acap-me.org or Jo-Ellen Kelley at jkelley@acap-me.org or call 207-764- 3721.
