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American Legacy Foundation® Names New Youth Activism Council

4/23/2008

Youth from Across the Country to Serve as Community Representatives for Tobacco Awareness and Prevention Activities.

Washington, DC – Eleven students from across the country were selected to the Youth Activism Council (YAC) of the American Legacy Foundation®, the largest national public health foundation dedicated to preventing teens from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit. Chosen from a competitive field of nominees, the new members will help Legacy continue to creatively and effectively convey the health risks of using tobacco products to young people, as well as help provide training and resources to other organizations working in public health.

Each year, more than 400,000 Americans die from tobacco-related diseases, including heart disease, cancers, emphysema and stroke. Research also shows most smokers start before the age of 18. Educational efforts like the work of the Youth Activism Council are essential to reaching young people before they take up smoking, a life-threatening habit.

The council members came together in March in Washington, D.C to participate in a three-day training at Legacy’s headquarters. During the training, members were briefed on the work of the foundation, then engaged in a series of activities designed to build their knowledge of Legacy and its efforts in tobacco control and cessation. The council also developed plans for implementing 12-month advocacy projects in their local communities. In addition to their local projects, members of the council will reconvene in June to begin to identify a national issue related to tobacco prevention and cessation.

“The Youth Activism Council allows this group of outstanding individuals to have an opportunity to participate in a program that provides excellent educational and community-oriented experiences,” said Cheryl Healton Dr. P.H., Legacy’s president and CEO. “With so much of our work at Legacy geared toward keeping young people from smoking, we are fortunate to have such an innovative and hardworking council dedicated to working together in order to combat tobacco addiction among their peers.” 

During their 18 month terms, members of the council will develop skills in project planning, leadership, community organizing, and social change. The goal of the council is to engage and build the capacity of diverse young leaders advocating for communities where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit.

Legacy’s new Youth Activism Council members are:

The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit http://www.americanlegacy.org/.

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Contact: Jackie Berkowitz, 202-454-5747