Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health (BBPH) will host the Spring 2022 Break Free Youth Action Summit (YAS) on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at the Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck. The event is organized and supported by BBPH and Tobacco Free North Dakota (TFND). Approximately 150 middle and high school students and their advisors are expected to attend the summit, which is offered at no cost to participants.
The YAS provides a unique opportunity for youth advocates to demonstrate their passion and commitment in helping create the next tobacco free generation. The summit will give students tools and resources to find their voice and advocate for change. National speaker Kim Homer-Vagadori from the California Youth Advocacy Network will work with students, teaching them about how the tobacco industry uses flavors to hook kids, flavored tobacco policy, and how youth can become successful advocates to make change in their communities.
Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health Tobacco Prevention Specialist, Jordyn Schaefbauer, says, “We are excited to host the Annual Bismarck Youth Action Summit! Youth involvement in tobacco prevention is critical and attending the summit gives students the tools they need to take action and make a positive change, both in their communities and throughout the state.”
Youth are at the center of the nation’s current vaping epidemic. Although we have seen a significant decrease in youth smoking rates over the last few years, vaping, or use of electronic cigarettes, among high school students remains high - according to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, current vaping among North Dakota high school students is 21.2%, which is higher than ND adult e-cigarette use rates of 17.9%.
In the weeks and months following the summit, attending students will work with their peers to create activities for Take Down Tobacco: National Day of Action (April 1, 2022), and World No Tobacco Day (May 31, 2022).
For more information, please visit https://www.breathend.com/youth-action-summit/.