Interactive Stories

In this section, you will get the chance to work through three stories. These stories involve youth and community workers faced with different opportunities for conversations about shisha smoking. Try to put yourself in the shoes of these workers and decide how you would approach these situations. There are no incorrect answers, but you will be provided with some feedback for each option as well as some ideas for conversation starters around the harms of shisha smoking.

Story #1

It is important to celebrate successes with clients and communities.

How might you do this while keeping in mind that as a youth worker, you are a role model for these young people?

As a youth worker, it is important that you remain a role model for the young people you work with.

How can you go about respectfully turning down this invitation?

You can let the young people know that it’s really important to celebrate the successful event but that it can be done without smoking shisha, which is unhealthy.

This option lets you celebrate with the group but does not put you or the young people in a situation that has negative health impacts. It also provides a great opportunity to share some information about the harms of shisha smoking with these young people.

By going along, you can show that celebrating the successful event together is important but this option doesn’t protect you from second-hand shisha smoking, which can also lead to a range of health issues.

You also miss the opportunity to be a role model and share information about the harms of shisha smoking with the young people.

By choosing this option, you get to celebrate the successful day with the group. However, it puts you and the young people at risk of the harmful health impacts of shisha smoking.

This may also compromise your position as a role model around health and wellbeing for young people.

You can tell the young people that it’s important to celebrate the success of the day but that you have other plans and are unable to attend.

This option shows that you value celebrating successes and does not put your health at risk through second-hand smoking. However, it is a missed opportunity to have a conversation with the young people about the harms of shisha smoking.

You can let the young people know that it is really important to celebrate the success of the day together but that you don’t smoke shisha because of the health risks.

By choosing this option, you have the opportunity to inform the young people about the harms of shisha smoking. It removes you from a situation that compromises your health and wellbeing and makes it clear that you can’t approve of shisha smoking because of the health risks involved.

How could I say this?

“I would love to celebrate with you but how about we go somewhere different for dinner? Shisha is actually really bad for your health.

You should check out the Shisha No Thanks website. There’s some great information on there about it.”

“Thanks so much for the invitation but I’m not going to attend because I don’t smoke shisha or go to places where people are smoking.

If you’re interested, I’d love to share some information with you about why I choose not to smoke it.”

Explore other ways of responding

Myths & Facts

Story #2