What is Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group?

Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group is a diversion program offered to juveniles that have been ticketed with a tobacco-related offense. Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group offers the juvenile offender an alternative to the court system. Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group is also offered as education for non-offending juveniles, with parental consent.

Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group operates as a discussion group, not a lecture. During the four-week sessions, the group discusses topics such as what is in tobacco, the harmful effects of tobacco use, the cost of smoking, how tobacco companies lure young people, diseases caused by tobacco use, the effects of second-hand smoke, and the effects of spit tobacco. Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group offers many videos and educational tools to aid in showing the harmful effects of tobacco use.

The classes are held in four-week sessions. Juveniles must complete all four sessions to receive credit for the course. Classes are two hours in length and held on Tuesday evenings. The classes are offered in a smoke-free environment and teens will be re-ticketed for smoking or having tobacco on their person.

The cost of Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group Diversion Program is $75.00 for all four sessions. All supplies are provided for the student.

Our Goal

The goal of Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group is to provide basic information on the processes and effects of tobacco use, to encourage young people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, and to offer support in adopting a healthier lifestyle. The benefit of Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group is to show the young people throughout our community the harmful effects of tobacco use.

Cessation

Sarpy County Tobacco Education Group also offers a cessation program for juveniles interested in quitting the use of tobacco. This 2- to 4-hour course helps participants to identify their own methods to quit using tobacco, motivate participants to move forward in the action state of quitting, explain a range of cessation methods including cold turkey, tapering, and postponing, to provide specific techniques to help participants avoid thoughts, feelings, and physical cravings that lead to tobacco use, to learn refusal skills, to help participants understand how to remain tobacco-free, and to provide a supportive environment and social pressure to help participants quit and stay free of tobacco.

The cost of the cessation program will be reduced if the participant has attended the education portion of the program.