Celebrate your tobacco-free lifestyle and educate others about being tobacco-free as part of a TRU Storm! TRU Storms are events that are hosted by TRU groups across the state of PA. While these events can take place any time of the year, they are typically held around tobacco-free holidays. Find activity inspiration in our TRU Storm Toolkit or from the activities listed below.

That’s our motto this year! Vaping hurts more than your health. It also hurts your wealth because it’s easy to spend hundreds a year on disposable vapes, refills, and other vaping accessories. Not to mention the environmental problem all those little batteries create. The facts are clear: Vaping is an expensive habit in many ways. So spend this year spreading the message – Don’t let your money or the environment go up in smoke. Instead, save it and invest in your future by breaking up with your vape!

Use the following activities to educate your peers about how to Save It by Breaking Up with Vape:

COST OF VAPING: Do the math and discover just how much vaping hurts your wallet. Use a special calculator to figure out how much money can be saved over the course of weeks, months and even years, simply by not vaping. Check out the activity sheet for more information.

DEAR FUTURE ME: Create a digital time capsule that lets TRU members write a letter to their future self and share why they are staying tobacco-free, what their hopes are for the future and how they’ll spend the money they save. The letter then gets emailed to them on the future date they select.  Check out the activity sheet for more information.

DUNK ON BIG TOBACCO: Host a Dunk on Big Tobacco event at school where students can jump on the trend of quitting by dunking their vape in a mini dunk tank or basketball hoop. Boost excitement by featuring a dunk contest with the basketball team and an assembly to share tobacco stats and cheer on all those going tobacco-free. Check out the activity sheet for more ideas.

Looking for even more activities to participate in this year? Check out these recent TRU Storms:

Chew on This

Use the Chew on This activity to educate others about the dangers of smokeless tobacco and offer them a tasty treat to chew on instead

Chew Juice Challenge

Grab some friends and play the Chew Juice Challenge to find out if you can avoid getting tricked by Big Tobacco! Fill up several cups with tea then dissolve salt in a few cups to represent chew spit. Then play a tobacco trivia game and have participants pick a cup to drink if they answer incorrectly. See who can make it to the end of the game without having to drink any “chew”!

Ask a Chemist

Plan an Ask a Chemist event to squash Big Tobacco’s lies and spread the TRUth about nicotine and tobacco! Recruit your chemistry or science teacher to talk about the chemicals in tobacco products and how nasty they really are.

Youth Advocacy Video Challenge

Create a video explaining why MSA funding and comprehensive clean indoor air policies are so important to protecting the lungs of PA youth. Check out the challenge guide for all of the details, including sample questions and tips for creating your video.

Tobacco-Free School Policy Scavenger Hunt

Do you know if your school has a comprehensive tobacco-free policy? It’s time to find out! Find your school’s tobacco policy and use it to complete this scavenger hunt to find out if your school is doing everything it can to protect students, teachers, and visitors from the harmful effects of tobacco products.

Take a look back at photos from some of our past TRU Storms, including a Friendsgiving, Escape from Smoke event for Kick Butts Day, a baseball game and poster contest for World No Tobacco Day and a tobacco-free school carnival!