Highly Interactive & Engaging Educational Speaker
Highly Interactive & Engaging Educational Speaker
On October 30, 2026, vaping awareness speaker Robert Hackenson Jr. spent an hour with sixth graders at Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy in Indianapolis, IN. Through magic, illusions and student volunteers, they learned how influence works, who is really behind vaping, and how to make smart decisions in a split second. Watch the full presentation, then open any section below to keep the conversation going at home.
| Program | A 6th grade vaping presentation on influence and decision-making |
|---|---|
| School | Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy, 202 W. Meridian School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46217 (Perry Township Schools) |
| Presenter | Robert Hackenson Jr., MBA, CAOL, prevention educator and professional magician, Professional Member of the National Speakers Association |
| Format | One interactive assembly using magic, illusions and student volunteers; non-fear-based |
| Topics | How influence works, vape marketing, what's in a vape, nicotine and the developing brain, THC, saying no, stress and support |
| For families | The full recording, printable parent discussion cards, and Indiana help lines |
It taught sixth graders how their decisions get influenced, often without them noticing, and gave them three rules for smart decisions: get all the information first, don't put your health in someone else's hands, and don't flip the coin when there's nothing to gain and everything to lose.
No. The presentation is non-fear-based. Students got the reasoning and practical tools, like what to say and how to get out of a bad situation, instead of warnings.
Robert Hackenson Jr. of Dynamic Influence, a prevention educator with more than 20 years of experience who has spoken to schools in 49 states.
"You only live once" usually gets said right before something dumb. Students heard the opposite: if you only get one life, that's the reason to make the smart choice. Every decision now is part of the foundation, so find your reason why.
Remember "6-7"? Trends spread even when nobody can explain them. Then students picked poker chips "freely," and every pick turned out to be predicted in advance. The biggest influence of all: the people you surround yourself with.
Surround yourself with people who build you up, not pull you down.The only people calling vaping safe are those who use it and those who sell it. Students heard how cigarette companies once ran doctor-endorsed ads, and how vaping was marketed to kids with candy flavors, USB-drive designs and influencers.
It's an aerosol made mostly of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, plus flavorings, nicotine or THC, and tiny metal particles. Those ingredients are approved to eat, not to inhale.
A volunteer agreed to a coin flip before hearing the stakes. (Nobody got hurt.)
Nicotine snaps into a developing brain like a puzzle piece, and later the brain wants that piece back. That's why "I'll just quit later" is a trap, and why companies want kids young.
Students heard simple, low-drama ways to say no ("Nah, I'm good"), permission to blame their parents, and the code-word idea: text a word like "fine," and a parent calls to "make" them come home.
Robert shared how he made poor choices in middle school during a hard time at home, and how a counselor helped him picture the life he wanted and work backward. Boredom: "be productive, not destructive." Stress: like a lobster outgrowing its shell, a sign to grow.
It's not about the hand you're dealt. It matters how you play the hand.Try one in the car, where nobody has to make eye contact. Prefer paper? Print the parent discussion cards.
"What was the magic trick that got you the most? How do you think he did it?"
Every trick carried a lesson. Kids who explain the trick usually explain the lesson too.
"Why do you think vapes come in candy flavors and look like USB drives?"
Sixth graders hate being played. Seeing the marketing works better than any warning.
"If someone offered you one, what would you actually say?"
Rehearsed lines come out under pressure. Offer to be the excuse: "My parents test me."
"Let's pick a code word. If you text it, I'll come get you. No questions that night."
It gets your child out of a bad spot without losing face.
"Who builds you up? Who pulls you down?"
He called the second group "quicksand people." This gets more honest answers than asking about specific friends.
No. Sixth grade is the prevention window. Most sixth graders have never tried a vape, and the goal is for them to have a plan before the first offer comes, often from an older sibling, cousin or friend.
For an adult smoker who switches completely, it is likely less harmful. For a child who doesn't smoke, it isn't safer. It's a new risk they didn't have before.
Students heard that you often can't tell what's in a vape. Some sold as nicotine contain THC, and some have contained other drugs. THC is also far stronger today than it used to be, which matters for a developing brain.
Yes. Students were told they can say "my parents test me" as an easy way out. Telling your child out loud that you'll back them up costs nothing and helps.
Please share it only within your family. Students appear on camera, which is also why no volunteer is named on this page.
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Robert Hackenson Jr. brought this program to Perry Meridian 6th Grade Academy, making him a school assembly speaker in Marion County as well as a vaping prevention speaker for central Indiana. As a vaping awareness speaker for Indianapolis, IN schools, he works with middle and high schools here and nationwide, with follow-up curriculum, discussion cards and parent resources included.
Check availabilityPresentation recordings are for family viewing only and may not be redistributed.