Developing Youth Leadership and Empowerment through CBPR

In 2014 the ongoing CBPR tobacco prevention and cessation project known as CEASE (Communities Engaged and Advocating for Smoke-free Environments) added a component specifically for youth. The purposes were: to prevent tobacco use among youth; to enlist the help of youth in reducing tobacco use in their neighborhoods; and to learn how the tobacco industry targets young people for initiation. Research shows that when youth engage in pro-social activities, their sense of resiliency and self-worth increases. Peer-to-peer messaging is also more effective in reaching target audiences than conventional approaches to health education.

Students were recruited as volunteers. Encouraged by CEASE’s Outreach and Youth Coordinator, the students researched and learned critical facts about primary, secondhand and thirdhand smoke, gateway drugs and addiction, little cigars, peer pressure, e-cigarettes, and how the tobacco industry targets youth and low-socioeconomic communities. The students met weekly to share what they learned in their independent exploration, to participate in activities that promote healthy living, and to develop and rehearse performances to convey this critical health information. They practiced team-building and developed skills in critical thinking and leadership.

The students performed at the first annual CEASE conference. Though the conference featured several stellar speakers, the student performance was the most enjoyed and highly praised component. CEASE has since been funded by the Baltimore Health Department to expand this after-school programming and add a Youth Advisory Council to nurture students’ innate sense of social justice and develop the skills necessary to improve their communities.