Background: Research has shown that the incidence of smoking is far greater amongst Indigenous young people than in non Indigenous youth. The health effects from smoking in the Indigenous community, both short term and long term, are well documented in the literature, as is the high incidence of illness and shortened longevity.

Strategy: This presentation describes the implementation of a teacher and peer leader training program that delivers tobacco control education, in high schools in South Australia. Indigenous peer leaders working with teachers provide the cultural and generational link between the teacher and the students.

The resource package, “Nunga kids don't need Puiya”, produced by local Kaurna people, specifically targets Indigenous youth, and has been found to be well received by all young people. Involving the whole school community in tobacco control education, provides an integrated approach that has been found to be an effective way of delivering an anti tobacco message to young people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

Conclusion: Working collaboratively with the Department of Education and Children's Services, Drug Strategy and Aboriginal Education Unit enables approaches such as this to be incorporated into the statewide tobacco control curriculum and have an effect on the prevention of youth smoking.