Dare County Schools
http://www.darecountyschoolsonline.com/moxie/schools/YTA-101.shtmlYouth Tobacco Advocacy Equals Positive Change
Youth Tobacco Advocacy 101
The Dare County Department of Public Health’s Touch No Tobacco “TNT” program recently sponsored a Youth Tobacco Advocacy 101 training for the members of First Flight High School, Cape Hatteras Secondary School and Manteo High Schools SADD Club and Peer Power Programs. The training, offered by the Question Why? Youth Empowerment Center of Eastern North Carolina, was a fast paced, five-hour training led by Youth Leaders Kai Gordon and Khadijah Glover of New Hanover High School in Wilmington, NC. The SADD club members and Peer Power Health Educators participated in this tobacco prevention program to become trained in Youth Tobacco Advocacy 101. “These students will learn to construct and deliver persuasive messages and develop advocacy, writing and interviewing skills for policy change,” stated Parrish Ravelli, Question Why? Youth Coordinator.
“Youth advocates are some of the most effective advocates for policy change in our county, state and even our nation. Teens are energetic, creative, passionate, and as they have told us, tired of being targeted by tobacco companies”, stated Anne Thomas, Director, Dare County Department of Public Health. “By collaborating with young people, we are creating the opportunity for youth voices to lead the way.”
SADD, an organization of students working against destructive decisions faced by teenagers, promotes youth development and empowers students to get involved in leading their peers toward good decision-making.
“The Peer Power students will utilize this information to create positive change in their community,” commented Kim Cholewinski, Health Education Supervisor for the Dare County Department of Public Health. “This change may be a new smoke free policy for a business or an improved smoke free policy.”
(From left) Patsy Stowe, Brianne Rosell, Kylie Beasley, Cole Beasley, Kourtney Trott, Sommer Moore, Ashleigh Champlin practice their interview techniques under the pressure of distraction by the Question Why? Youth Leaders Kai Gordon and Khadijah Glover.
Peer Power is a peer health educator program provided by the Dare County Department of Public Health in partnership with the Dare County School System with funding from the Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF).
Manteo High School Peer Health Educator, Meredith Gwaltney,
expresses to other students the importance of living
tobacco free from her own experience.
TNT is the teen tobacco use, prevention and cessation initiative of the Northeastern North Carolina Partnership for Public Health (NENCPPH) and the North Carolina Institute for Public Health. The NENCPPH consists of 12 local health departments that serve a 19-county area in Northeastern North Carolina. The Partnership maximizes the available resources and service potential of local health departments through cooperation with each other on public health issues. The TNT coordinator for Currituck, Dare and Hyde counties, Lisa Phillips, can be contacted at 252-475-5077 for more information.
Grant funding is from the Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) Commission. The HWTF’s goal is to make North Carolina stronger, both physically and economically, by funding programs that promote preventive health. Created by the General Assembly in 2000 to allocate a portion of North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement, HWTF has invested $127 million to support preventive health initiatives and $78 million to fund a prescription drug assistance program for seniors.
Contact: Lisa Phillips, Youth Tobacco Prevention Coordinator
(252) 475-5077 (Office)