1. Join the Movement

2. Youth Engagement Brief History Making the Case The Youth Role The Adult Role

3. *Disclaimer* While this presentation focuses on tobacco control programs specifically, and you’ll hear us say the word tobacco a lot, and the CDC Youth Engagement User Guide is based on the Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, it’s only because that’s where our funding stream is located.

4. *Disclaimer* We strongly believe in the utilizing the youth-led/adult-assisted approach to address all issues or concerns involving youth, whether it’s (ANY) substance abuse prevention programs, school improvement plans or community group projects. That being said…let’s get started!

5. Youth Engagement: A Brief History 1964 – 1990: Health Education – Give them the right information and they’ll make the right decision Early 1990s: Life Skills and Peer Resistance – Influenced by social environment not statistics; – Need to INVOLVE youth recognized

6. Youth Engagement: A Brief History Late 1990s: Florida “truth” campaign – Important partnership in developing solutions Most recent: – Social Networking Sites for recruiting and organizing – Smoking in movies addresses role of social environment in smoking initiation

7. Youth Engagement: The Transition From: -Problem to fix -Tokens -Individual focus -Education -Adults as Guides -Anti-Smoking To: -Agents of Change -Community Partners -Community focus -Policy Change -Adults as Partners -Anti-Tobacco

8. Youth Engagement: The Transition Works -Counter marketing -Media Advocacy -Social Norms -Community Approach -Policy Work Under Review -Rallies -Peer Pressure focus -Resistance Skills -Skill Building (w/o opportunities) Doesn’t Work -School only approach -Information Overload -Token Youth Seat

9. Youth Engagement: Making the Case History supports it Scientific Evidence Cost Sustainability

10. Youth Engagement: Making the Case Youth Are… – Advocates for policy change – Powerful voices – Targets – Energetic – Concerned – Creative / Innovative – CONNECTED

11. Youth Empowerment: The Youth Role Recruitment Policy Advocacy Media Advocacy Community Engagement Activities Fighting Pro-Tobacco Influences

12. The Youth Role: Recruitment Where to go? How to get there? When to appear? Then what?

13. The Youth Role: Policy Advocacy Youth need education and training – Key statistics – Policy issues (who the players are) – Approaching and Influencing the players – Media Literacy

14. The Youth Role: Policy Advocacy Policy initiatives should focus on supporting and reinforcing tobacco-free norms – Increasing retail price – Decreasing minor access – Increasing smoke-free ordinances

15. The Youth Role: Media Advocacy Used to advance policy advocacy projects Build community support for policies Capture attention to enhance efforts

16. The Youth Role: Media Advocacy Limited funding? No problem! – School publications – Earned Media – Guerilla Marketing – Partner with statewide advocacy groups

17. The Youth Role: Community Engagement Help shape the environment Deepen community networks Pool resources Don’t forget sub-communities!

18. The Youth Role: Fighting Influences We can’t out-spend them We don’t have a larger presence than them We aren’t everywhere that they are

19. The Youth Role: Fighting Influences Changing Social Norms Monitor and report industry activities Store Alert Projects SmokeFree Movies campaign

20. Youth Empowerment: The Adult Role Give authority and permission to act Enable ability to make decisions Help shift focus to Policy Change

21. Youth Empowerment: The Adult Role Act as the convener; make sure all parties are at the table Engage youth from conception to evaluation Facilitate youth involvement in community coalitions

22. Youth Empowerment: The Adult Role Find funding Assist youth in developing materials Provide forum for interaction Act as a conduit between the nay-sayers and the youth

23. The Adult Role: Focus on Policy Change Key Elements: – Sustained Funding – Commitment from Partners – Environmental Change

24. The Adult Role: Focus on Policy Change Focus on policy-driven deliverable Sync with community policy efforts Line up with statewide education/media

25. Contact Information Ruby Moore – rm72@txstate.edu Jennifer Steele – js42@txstate.edu Toll Free – (877)304-2727