Doha, Qatar: Qatar Cancer Society (QCS) organized an award ceremony for ‘Time to Quit’ contest winners, launched this May for the second consecutive year. The contest targeted middle and high school students, coinciding with the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on May 31. The competition was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco, the importance of quitting, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
The contest involved the production of short videos, following a set of criteria and standards established by the society. The winning entries were selected by a judging panel consisting of media personality Buthaina Abdul Jaleel, Abdullah Ahmed Mohamed, Head of Communication at the Fire Station - Artists in Residence, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed Bleyda, Head of the Community Medicine Residents at Hamad Medical Corporation, and Heba Nassar, Head of the Community Awareness Team Qatar Cancer Society. Entries were evaluated based on artistic quality, scientific content, message delivery, and the achievement of the society's objectives.
Mona Ashkanani, the General Manager of the society, awarded the winners, who included: Zakaria Ahmed Yousef Al-Janahi from Al Wakra Secondary School for Boys, Rajeh Al-Nabit, Omar Abu Al-Wafa, Issa Maher from Khalifa Secondary School for Boys, Lulwa Rashid, Mariam Said, Mariam Fahd, Nora Al-Emadi from Al-Arqam Academy, Students from Next Generation School, Al Wakra, Mikola Alabanza, Matt Magnaye, Maielle Tabula - the Philippine International School Qatar.
The event featured a panel discussion ‘Life without Smoking – health and social benefits’, and several specialists and partners participated in the debate, including Dr. Ahmad Abdullah, Smoking cessation specialist at Tobacco Control Center, Hamad Medical Corporation; Dr. Mohammad Abdullah M Blaidah Community Medicine Physician, Chairman of Trainee Council at Hamad Medical Corporation; Khamees al Mohannadi, School principal and a representative of the Health and Safety Department at Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
Mona Ashkanani expressed her happiness with the significant participation from governmental, private, and international schools in the contest. She reiterated that this initiative supports the society's mission to prevent cancer and reduce its impact in Qatar by working with partners to educate the community, support and empower cancer survivors, and advance professional development and scientific research.
Noor Mekkiya, a health educator at the society, stated that the goal of launching the "This is the Time... Quit It" contest is to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco, emphasize the importance of quitting, and avoid passive smoking, as well as to encourage adopting a healthy lifestyle. She added that over 160 artistic works were received from middle and high school students. She noted that World No Tobacco Day serves as a unified global campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco and ways to quit through targeted messages for all community members, especially the youth, who are at the initial stage of forming healthy habits and quitting negative ones. This is the motivation behind the society’s launch of an annual contest aimed at school students to raise awareness about the risks of tobacco, including its link to diseases such as lung cancer.
