Youth Leaders Sharpen Skills for Fight against Tobacco
July 23, 2014
It's within our reach to create the first tobacco-free generation.
But we can't do it without the involvement of youth.
Last week, we welcomed more than 30 youth activists from across the country to Washington, DC, for our 11th Youth Advocacy Symposium — a series of skill-building workshops on leadership, advocacy and communications.
Among other things, the youth activists met with their members of Congress to urge support for strong policies to reduce tobacco use, the nation’s number one cause of preventable death.
Specifically, the youth urged lawmakers to support the FDA’s efforts to regulate all tobacco products and reject proposals to exempt some cigars, which would make it easier for tobacco companies to continue targeting kids. The need for FDA regulation of cigars was underscored by a recent CDC survey, which found that high school boys now smoke cigars at the same rate as cigarettes (16.5 percent for cigars and 16.4 percent for cigarettes).
Youth are vital to winning the fight against tobacco, and we are excited to help foster the next generation of leaders.
#TFKyas in front of the Lincoln Memorial #maketobaccohistory @TobaccoFreeKids pic.twitter.com/x6azLwepEm
— Robbie Leggett (@originaltiming) July 16, 2014