Talented high school actors create videos aimed at lowering tobacco use

Alan Crowell, LincolnHealth
Fri, 06/06/2014 - 4:00pm
Teen actors and their advisors following the film premier of the new Sidekick program’s videos at the Skidompha Library in Damariscotta on May 22. Pictured from left to right are: Ricki Waltz, director of school-based health center at Lincoln Academy (LA); Brittany Bays, Oak Hill High School; Emma Weissenfels, front, Oak Hill; Draco Peaslee, Boothbay Region High School (BRHS); Bryan Dionne, health and physical education teacher at BRHS; Zoey Sewall, LA; Annielyn MacKusick, BRHS, Chloe Hoecker, BRHS, Nikolas Whittemore, Edward Little High School; Alex Ray-Weber, LA; Jude Alamo, BRHS; Sam Jones, LA; Mack Whittier, Lewiston Middle School; Nathan Osborne, LA, and Audrey Harper, LA. Not shown are: Ashley Poland, BRHS; Elaine Fitzpatrick, LA; Max Elliott, LA; Hayden Rodrigue, Oak Hill; Veeva Banga, Casco Bay High School and Gabriel Walker, Portland High School. Courtesy of LincolnHealth

Teen actors from Lincoln, Androscoggin and Cumberland counties, their families and teachers turned out for the film premier of the new Sidekicks program’s videos at the Skidompha Library in Damariscotta, May 22.

“The night was about showing the audience the work of these talented high school teens whose videos are used in promoting and teaching the Sidekicks program,” said Ellie Baker, a Lincoln County Healthcare Community Health Program coordinator.

“The Sidekicks program was created to address Lincoln County’s high youth tobacco use rate, the highest in Maine,” said Cathy Cole, direction of education and community health for Lincoln County Healthcare. “Many community partners and teens have contributed to the creation of this program over the past year.”

Sidekicks was developed by Lincoln County Healthcare in partnership with MaineHealth and the Center for Tobacco Independence with funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as part of a community transformation grant. 

Kate Winslow, of Boothbay Region High School’s school-based health center, set up teen focus groups to gather their ideas and interest in helping friends quit tobacco.

“The teens expressed high interest in learning how to talk with peers,” said Orion Breen, Lincoln County Healthcare Program Coordinator, who led the focus groups. “In fact many of them had said they’d already had conversations with family and friends.”

Bryan Dionne, from Boothbay Region High School, and Radek Janik and Ricki Waltz from Lincoln Academy, reviewed and gave feedback during the program’s development. In April and May, Dionne and Waltz taught the first groups of teens using the Sidekicks programs. This coming September, more teachers and adults who work with youth will be trained with the program expanding into Androscoggin County.

The professionally created videos were directed and edited by Rhonda Wanser with production work by Perch Design Studio of Portland. Wanser’s special outtakes video had the audience laughing towards the end of the evening.

Lincoln County Healthcare hopes that teens supporting teen tobacco users in a respectful way will make a difference in lowering the use of tobacco in Lincoln County.

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