What does peer pressure look like? Sometimes it is obvious. Sometimes it looks more like a joke, a trend, bright packaging, something that keeps appearing online, boredom, curiosity, stress or somebody saying, “Go on, just try it.”

ASH Wales has launched Nicofiends, a new free bilingual campaign helping children and young people recognise the pressures, feelings, messages and tricks that can pull them into smoking, vaping or nicotine use.

Nicofiends turns those influences into memorable monster characters that young people can spot, question and talk about. And there is much more to Nicofiends than meeting the monsters.

One hub. Lots of ways to use it.

The new Nicofiends resource hub has been built for people working with young people aged 4 to 18 across Wales.

Teachers can pick up a ready-to-run school pack. Youth workers can choose a quick game for a 15-minute session. Sports coaches can get a team moving. Families can go straight to the competition. Groups looking for something playful can try the new Nicofiends card game. Everything is free, with resources available in English and Welsh.

Ready-to-run resources for schools

Schools can choose resources suited to the age of their pupils.

• The younger primary pack for ages 4–7 uses simple, play-based activities around feelings, confidence, choices and asking trusted adults for help.
• The KS2 Nicofiends workshop pack gives primary teachers a ready-to-run session exploring pressure, feelings and choices, leading pupils into creating their own Nicofiend.
• For Years 7–9, the secondary pack goes further into influence, marketing, nicotine products and social pressure.

The school resources come with the guidance and materials needed to run the activities, rather than leaving staff to build a lesson from scratch. The KS2 lesson, for example, is structured around recognising pressure from people, feelings, packaging and online messages, understanding nicotine and giving pupils ways to pause, think and make their own choices.

Pick an activity that fits your group

The Nicofiends Quick Activities bank lets youth workers, teachers and community staff choose an activity by age, time available and type of activity.

Each activity gives the adult running it practical guidance: what it explores, what is needed, how to run it, questions to ask afterwards and how it connects back to smoking, vaping or nicotine.

Many include Make it Easier and Make it Harder options, helping leaders adapt an activity for the young people in front of them. Safety notes and printable materials are there where they are needed too.

So a youth worker with ten minutes can pick Pressure Postcards or Hold the Line. A group with more time might try Hype Lab, Mystery Auction, What’s Missing? or Create Your Nicofiend.

Taking Nicofiends onto the pitch

Nicofiends is heading into sport too. ASH Wales has worked with WRU Community Rugby on a dedicated Pressure Off: Games for Sports Clubs pack.

Instead of sitting young people down for a lesson, the pack uses active team games to explore peer pressure, confidence, decision-making and backing your teammates.

The activities can fit into a training night or club session and can be adapted for different ages, abilities and sports settings.

The pack gives coaches clear instructions, short team huddles, easier and harder versions and practical support information. Coaches do not need to be nicotine experts — the focus is on creating a useful conversation through play.

Meet the Nicofiends card game

There is a new way to meet the characters too. The Nicofiends Card Game is a fast, discussion-friendly game for 2–5 players aged 11–16. Players come up against Nicofiends representing different pressures and use NicoFriends – choices and strategies that can help to battle them.

The cards bring together peer pressure, feelings, marketing, hype and nicotine tricks in a format young people can actually play with, rather than another worksheet.

Could the next Nicofiend be yours?

The launch comes with a Wales-wide creative competition. Children and young people can invent an original Nicofiend based on a pressure, feeling, message or trick linked to smoking, vaping or nicotine.

They can draw, paint, collage, craft or create their idea digitally. They do not need a special entry sheet — an idea created on ordinary paper can be entered too. Twelve winning ideas will be professionally reimagined as official Nicofiends playing cards and animated campaign characters for 2027.

Winners will receive a Nicofiends card game, prize bundle, certificate and voucher. Entries close 4th December 2026.

Start wherever works for you

Nicofiends was built so adults working with young people can use as much or as little as they need. Run a school session. Pick one ten-minute activity. Download the youth pack. Take a team game onto the pitch. Play the card game. Create a Nicofiend.

Explore all the free Nicofiends resources at ash.wales/nicofiends

And once you have tried them, we want to hear what your young people thought. Feedback from schools, clubs, groups and young people will help shape where Nicofiends goes next.

Nicofiends is supported by funding from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Awards for All programme and the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust.