Inspires students to educate their peers and community
The Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit will be held Wed., Oct. 11th, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. in the Rembrandt Room at the Radisson Hotel.
Summit attendees will have the opportunity to learn from national speaker, Reggie Cajayon, Program Manager from SAY WHAT! Texas youth group.
At the summit, Cajayon will educate Bismarck youth about the latest tobacco-free policy initiatives, techniques to be successful tobacco-prevention advocates. The students will be given an opportunity to put what they learned at the summit into action in the community.
The opening speaker Erica Solberg, a senior at Century High School, and has been involved in Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) for 4 years. Over the summer, Erica had the opportunity to spend some time in Washington DC representing North Dakota as a National Youth Ambassador for Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
“Youth need to get involved in tobacco prevention and become advocates because the tobacco industry continues to manipulate and target our peers into using a product that if used as intended can kill us” said Solberg. “The only way to stop this is by uniting against Big Tobacco companies and show them that we will not become victims.”
Tobacco use is still an issue in our state. According to Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids 14,000 youth alive in North Dakota and under the age of 18 will die prematurely from smoking.
Tobacco-free outdoor venues, raising the minimum legal sale of tobacco to age 21, and increasing the price of tobacco products are just a few proven strategies state and local communities can take to protect youth from a lifetime of addiction to nicotine.
Bismarck public high schools and middle schools, Theodore Jamerson 7th grade, along with St. Mary’s High School and Light of Christ’s 7th and 8th grade Academy will be sending student representatives and a faculty tobacco prevention coordinator to the summit.
In the weeks and months following the summit, attending students will work with their school’s tobacco prevention coordinator to create activities for the Great American Smokeout (November 16, 2017), Great American Spit Out (February 22, 2018), and Kick Butts Day (March 21, 2018).
The Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit is organized by Bismarck Burleigh Public Health to educate the students in ND about youth tobacco prevention activities, youth empowerment, and changing social norms.