Building Youth-led Movements: How Youth Organizing Can Advance Tobacco Prevention In Your State and Communities

Mass Youth Against Tobacco (MYAT), a project funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and managed by The Medical Foundation, is creating a unique, youth-led statewide movement for tobacco control and prevention. The statewide movement is built through a mini-grants program that supports community and statewide tobacco prevention efforts and provides advocacy trainings to community-based organizations; MYAT also supports a web-based, social norms brand called The 84.

Youth in MYAT lead tobacco prevention efforts in their communities. Efforts have included revising local signage ordinances to limit tobacco advertising in retail stores and running social norms campaigns that reverse misperceptions that “everyone is doing it.” Youth also convene annually for statewide gatherings to collectively celebrate the impact of their work and collaborate with key decision makers on ways to further tobacco control efforts throughout the state. Last year, approximately 150 youth met with MA Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program officials to help set priority areas of concern for the coming fiscal year.

This session will propose methods to effectively and creatively engage youth in tobacco prevention and foster youth advocacy to ultimately build a youth tobacco control movement.