Curriculum & Training
Learning opportunities to enhance tobacco prevention and cessation education.
Prevention Trainings
- Botvin LifeSkills
- CATCH My Breath
- Samantha Skunk
- Too Good for Drugs
- WYMAN’s Teen
Outreach Program (TOP) - You and Me,
Together Vape-Free
Botvin LifeSkills
Botvin LifeSkills Training is a comprehensive substance abuse prevention program that focuses on targeting the social and psychological factors that initiate risky behaviors rather than simply educating participants on the dangers of drug and alcohol use. There are curriculums for elementary through high school levels.
Learn MoreCATCH My Breath
Catch My Breath is a youth e-cigarette and vape prevention program specific to grades 5-12. The evidence-based program substantially reduced students’ likelihood of vaping in the year following program implementation. It is free to U.S. schools. It can be implemented into the classroom at any time. CATCH My Breath also has mini-lessons surrounding substance misuse for K-8
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Classes are offered for free to train the trainer, not students!
Thursday, May 29th 2025 9:00am-11am (CDT)
Register Here
Questions about in CATCH Training? Please email Kayla Bolstad (kbolstad@bhssc.org)
Samantha Skunk
The curriculum features characters that help promote positive messages on health to pre-K through 2nd grade. The lessons specifically discuss the importance of your lung health and the dangers of smoking. Samantha Skunk is a student led presentation for younger children that was originally created by University of New Hampshire Professor William Scott. In 2014, the Dover Youth to Youth program purchased this program and created more materials.
Too Good For Drugs
Skills development is at the core of Too Good for Drugs, a universal K-12 prevention education program designed to mitigate the risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use. The lessons introduce and develop skills for making healthy choices, building positive friendships, developing self-efficacy, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure and influence.
Too Good for Drugs teaches five essential character development skills to build self-efficacy, promote healthy development, and academic success:
- Setting Reachable Goals
- Making Responsible Decisions
- Bonding with Pro-Social Others
- Identifying and Managing Emotions
- Communicating Effectively
WYMAN’s Teen Outreach Program (TOP)
A nationally-recognized, evidence-based program empowering teens with the tools and opportunities to build social-emotional skills, strengthen relationships, and avoid risky behaviors.
Using interactive lessons facilitated by trained, caring adults, TOP youth become prepared to navigate life’s challenges through their teenage years – and beyond – and to make a difference in their communities.
TOP is a 9-month program for 6th through 12th graders and can be customized to fit the needs of all teens.
Sign Up
Wednesday May 14th 9:00am-5:00pm CST
Thursday May 15th 9:00am-5:00pm CST
Lutheran Social Services
705 E 41 St
Sioux Falls, SD
Wednesday May 28th 9:00am-5:00pm MST
Thursday May 29th 9:00am-5:00pm MST
Lutheran Social Services
2920 Sheridan Lake Rd.
Rapid City, SD
Reimbursement for mileage and hotel are included!
Questions about WYMAN's Teen Outreach Program (TOP) or want to register? Please email Hilary Larson (hilary.larsen@state.sd.us)
You and Me, Together Vape-Free
The You and Me, Together Vape-Free curriculum includes a middle and high school program that are 6 lessons, approximately 50 minutes each. It also includes a two-lesson elementary school version, approximately 50 minutes each. Every lesson provides activities, online quiz games, and worksheets in addition to presentations, resources, and other materials aimed at addressing key factors associated with youth e-cigarette use, including changing adolescents’ attitudes towards and misperceptions about e-cigarettes; increasing their refusal skills to pulls of flavors, marketing, and social media; reducing stress and depression which have been linked to e-cigarette initiation and use; improving coping; and decreasing intentions and actual use of all e-cigarette products.
These 6 in-class sessions are reinforced outside of the classroom with follow-up discussion guides that provide open-ended questions and activities for youth to discuss various e-cigarette-related topics with a trusted adult and/or peer in order to open dialogue between youth and adults. The curriculum is meant to reach all youth, including those at highest risk of tobacco use, racial/ethnic minorities, students in continuation and alternative schools, and those identifying as LGBTQ+.
Learn MoreCessation Trainings
- Ex Program
- Project SUN
- My Healthy Futures
- NOT (Not on Tobacco)
- Intervention for
Nicotine Dependence (INDEPTH) - Vaping: Know the Truth
EX Program
EX Program is a comprehensive digital cessation intervention developed with Mayo Clinic over 15 years ago and reimagined to meet the unique challenges faced by young people today. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine has shown that using EX Program can increase odds of quitting by up to 40%.
People can join for free by texting EXPROGRAM to 88709.
Project SUN
The South Dakota Tobacco Control Program offers an array of evidence-based curriculums. We have been made aware of a new curriculum called Project SUN (Stop the Use of Nicotine). This curriculum is Native American focused.
This curriculum teaches the difference between traditional tobacco and commercial tobacco.
To be eligible for the SUN program, a student must have used commercial tobacco in the last 30 days prior to the first session and must join the program on or before the fourth session of the curriculum.
This curriculum uses traditions and teaching from Native American traditions such as learning that tobacco used in a traditional way does not involve everyday use or inhaling.
The South Dakota Tobacco Control Program wants to bring this new curriculum to the schools of South Dakota.
Questions about Project SUN? Please email Tricia Yoshida (Tricia.Yoshida@state.sd.us)
Learn More
My Healthy Futures
My Healthy Futures is an Alternative-to-Suspension curriculum geared for students who have been caught using nicotine products, e-cigarettes, or any tobacco products and/or for any student who is interested in trying to reduce or quit nicotine use. They offer free, online Healthy Futures training for facilitators.
NOT (Not on Tobacco)
Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) seeks to address the growing problem of tobacco use by giving all teens the resources they need to break nicotine dependency and find healthier outlets. N-O-T was designed with teenagers, ages 14 to 19, in mind and addresses issues that are specifically important to them. Best for groups of 6-10 participants, but can be done individually. Consists of 10 sessions 50 minute sessions and can be done in-person or virtual.
NOT For Me
NOT for Me is a self-guided, mobile-friendly online program that leverages the American Lung Association’s Not On Tobacco (N-O-T)® program to help teens break nicotine dependency, whether they vape, smoke or use other tobacco products.
Questions about NOT Training? Please email Kaitlyn Ashley (kashely@bhssc.org)
Intervention for Nicotine Dependence (INDEPTH)
The American Lung Association’s INDEPTH® (Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health) program is an alternative to suspension or citation program that is offered as an option to students who face suspension for violation of school tobacco or e-cigarette use policies.
This program is administered by a trained adult facilitator in either a one-on-one or group format and can be offered in a school or community-based setting. The program consists of four sessions of approximately 50 minutes geared toward youth and focused on tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, nicotine dependence, establishing healthy alternatives and making the change to be free of all tobacco products.
Because the program is offered as an alternative to suspension or citation, attendance is mandatory in order to fulfill the obligation for the infraction. INDEPTH is not intended to be used as a prevention program (i.e., for students who are not current tobacco users).
Questions about INDEPTH training? Please email Kaitlyn Ashley (kashely@bhssc.org)
This program also has a self-paced module for students to do on their own.
Vaping: Know the Truth
Vaping: Know the Truth, is a self-led interactive digital learning guide is available for free to schools through EVERFI. Students (8th-12th) can learn about the dangers of vaping, how to live a vape-free life and learn where they can find resources to help themselves or others who are currently using e-cigarettes to quit.