R.E.W.A.R.D.S. to Pay Youth up to $5,000 for Graduating High School and Not Smoking

A new Canadian program will offer youth a $5,000 financial incentive to keep them from smoking and to stay in high school to graduation. The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Program is intended to reverse the effects of peer pressure, and to support youth to make healthy decisions by providing them with both the life skills and incentive to do so.

Each day more than 300 Canadian children begin to smoke. Half of them will eventually die from it. In fact, the Romanow Commission report, Building on Values, estimates that smoking costs our economy more than $16 billion and causes up to 45,000 premature deaths each year. In BC alone, smoking costs taxpayers $1.25 billion per year.

On average, one in four high school students drops out without a diploma, severely limiting their job prospects and earning power. Dropouts earn 20 per cent less than the average graduate, and are almost three times as likely to be smokers. Estimates suggest costs of dropping out of school in BC are also in the billions.

The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation is a registered charity committed to solving these problems. The Foundation is building on the successes of other incentive-based programs and new findings that education programs alone are ineffective in smoking prevention. By combining mentorship with a financial incentive, the Foundation plans to provide youth with the life skills and motivation to encourage healthy choices that lead to success

The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation will sign contracts with Grade 6 students (and their parents), offering up to $5,000 to each non-smoking graduate in the pilot program. Successful participants are free to use the money in any way they choose. Youth who choose to smoke or drop out and forfeit their $5,000 reward will be considered un-cool" by their peers.

This $5,000 reward is an excellent investment in our children," said Samy Bishay, R.E.W.A.R.D.S. program founder. It represents a fraction of the social and health costs of smoking and dropping out. Canadians can realize a large return in both dollars and lives saved. With this program, the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation is giving Canadian children an opportunity to connect positively with their society."

Program funding will come from a variety of sources, including corporate sponsors and individual donations. Sponsors include the Fairmont Empress Hotel, the Victoria Harbourside Rotary Club, the BC Lung Association, and many individual donors whose lives have been upset by the effects of tobacco. The R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation will be participating in the Victoria Health Show January 18-19, 2002, at the Victoria Conference Centre.

For more information, to discuss sponsorship opportunities, or to donate to the R.E.W.A.R.D.S. Foundation, please call (250) 382-3991, email president@rewardsprogram.ca, or visit their website at www.rewardsprogram.ca.