The 2025 dissemination and promotion program for the anti-smoking culture in schools across Catania and its province has officially begun. This morning, in the presence of hundreds of students, members of CoEHAR and representatives from the Italian Anti-Smoking League (LIAF) met the students of the G. B. Vaccarini Institute in Catania for a session focused on smoking-related diseases, smoking bans, and harm reduction.
The event, strongly supported by the School Principal, Dr. Salvina Gemmellaro, and Professor Florinda Gennusso, was also an opportunity to discuss future prospects and education pathways. It provided students, many of whom are on the brink of choosing their university studies, with insights into the educational opportunities offered by the University of Catania.
The panel of speakers included Professor Giovanni Li Volti, CoEHAR Director; Dr. Elena Granata, LIAF President; Professor Massimo Caruso, a CoEHAR member; Ph.D. student Dr. Giuseppe Carota; and scholarship winner of the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Program, Chiara Giardina. Psychologists Dr. Eleonora Uccello and Dr. Noemi Vitale also participated. The event was moderated by the journalist and social communication expert Dr. Valeria Nicolosi.
LIAF in Schools is a project launched in 2020 through the collaboration of numerous volunteers and anti-smoking policy experts. The initiative organizes and promotes educational sessions in schools for young people and educators. Featuring a scientific and educational program that evolves and adapts to the needs of each school group involved, LIAF in Schoolshas already reached over 10,000 students across Italy. The project has also included groups of young people from different countries, providing them with opportunities for learning and discussion on tobacco-related habits.
During these educational sessions, students actively participate in laboratory experiments, interactive activities, and evaluations of their knowledge regarding anti-smoking policies in Italy and worldwide. The discussions also center on the research and analyses conducted in CoEHAR’s laboratories and the findings of the center’s most significant research projects, developed in collaboration with its international academic partners.
