EVEREST: Early Intervention for Smoking Prevention

EVEREST (Early Intervention for Smoking Prevention) is an activity organized by SCOPH CIMSA UGM to commemorate World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated annually on May 31. The series of EVEREST activities consisted of pre-project training, offline intervention at SMPN 4 Pakem, talk shows, and podcast creation. Before the EVEREST activity series begun, a medical check-up was held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at Wisdom Park UGM as one of the fundraise effort. The medical check-up included measurements of BMI, blood pressure, glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol levels.

On March 29, 2022, a pre-project training activity attended by members of SCOPH CIMSA UGM and facilitators was held. The event was carried out by the Public Health Leader of SCOPH CIMSA, Sekar Putri Andriani, who delivered the topic “Smoking Prevention through Peer Education.”

The main series of EVEREST events was the offline intervention which was attended by 160 students from the 8th grade at SMPN 4 Pakem on April 9, 2022. Carrying the slogan “Reach the Peak Happiness Without Smoking,” the intervention began with lectures by 15 facilitators who were divided into 3 groups. The event continued with games and focused group discussion (FGD) which were held in 5 classes. To close the event, there was a group photo session and a symbolic declaration by the students with their handprints on the EVEREST banner.

To expand public awareness about smoking prevention in Indonesia, SCOPH CIMSA UGM continued the EVEREST series of events, titled “The Challenges and Opportunities of Smoking Cessation in Indonesia” on April 16, 2022, a webinar held online through ZOOM Meeting. We collaborated with special speakers from Center for Indonesia’s Development Initiatives (CISDI), Quit Tobacco International Indonesia (QTI Indonesia), and a former smoker from Green Crescent Indonesia who delivered diverse materials about smoking in Indonesia. This talk show was moderated by dr. Ariana Maharani, Public Health Leader of SCOPH CIMSA.

The series of EVEREST activities was closed with the creation of a podcast, titled “Kata Mereka tentang Rokok.” This podcast invited 3 speakers from three different backgrounds: people who had never smoked, active smokers, and people who had quit smoking. This podcast were moderated by Gabriella Audrey Widiarso and Nayla Tiara Ekasita, members of SCOPH CIMSA UGM. This podcast was uploaded on Spotify Cimsa Happy Hour on April 29, 2022.