Write a commentOn February 4th, 2019, Reality Check (RC) Youth from Cayuga, Onondaga and Oswego counties, along with approximately. 200 other RC Youth from across the state, will participate in annual Legislative Day.
For the past 15 years RC Youth have been traveling to Albany on Legislative Day to educate policymakers on the work they have been doing in their communities.
The RC Youth program educates on the impact that manipulative tobacco marketing has on youth and how eliminating tobacco displays in stores and raising the minimum purchasing age of tobacco products provide supportive steps toward having the first tobacco free generation. Youth attending the 2019 annual Legislative Day event will share created displays and event successes demonstrating the message of exposing Big Tobacco’s Marketing Scheme.
Local youth created a Photovoice Project to provide visual education about the dangers of tobacco marketing to youth through photos. This project was one of the activities that moved the community to take action in Onondaga County to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 (T21). In addition, “The more kids see tobacco the more likely they are to smoke” is a common message shared on October 13th each year on Seen Enough Tobacco Day. This youth rally educates community members that the average age of a new smoker is just 13.This effort put forth by the RC youth will educate elected officials and policy makers on ways to prohibit tobacco imagery in the community.
The Reality Check program is the youth empowerment initiative of the Tobacco Free Network of CNY(TFN), a division of Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County, Inc., located in downtown Oswego. TFN is a community program that serves Cayuga, Onondaga and Oswego counties providing support and resources that aid in creating tobacco free communities.
For more info on Tobacco Free Policy or Signage contact: Melissa Brangan, Community Specialist for TFN of CNY
Call: 315-343-2344 ext 21 or Write: TobaccofreeCOO@gmail.com
