Although Philadelphia youth smoking rates have experienced a decline from 30.6 percent in 1997 to 7.2 percent in 2015, e-cigarette use has increased dramatically, reaching 26.7 percent in 2015 (YRBS, 1997-2015). Misconceptions about the dangers of e-cigarette use, coupled with aggressive targeting of youth and communities of color through marketing and media campaigns by tobacco companies put our youth at serious risk of tobacco related morbidity and mortality.

Health Promotion Council’s (HPC’s) Advocacy Institute (AI) is a youth training program that works to engage and empower Philadelphia’s most at-risk youth to not only resist these hostile tobacco marketing campaigns, but to build their own tools for countering the tobacco companies and educating their peers on the dangers of tobacco, especially e-cigarette, use. AI is anchored in theories of empowerment and innovation, and is designed to inspire and support participants to create sustainable change in their communities. This framework is especially important for vulnerable populations, such as the low-income minority youth AI serves. AI’s education delivery model is partially peer-led and encourages participants to be self-driven. It also ensures the youth’s advocacy is relevant to their community and culture, which facilitates a greater impact. HPC integrated AI’s core concepts of policy, media, and community-level advocacy and public health education with tobacco-specific training (tobacco control policy, point of sale tactics, health impacts and tobacco as a social justice issue) to create a targeted, unique curriculum. AI programming culminates with youth participants planning and implementing an advocacy event immediately preceding graduation.

To increase the model’s sustainability in at-risk communities, AI includes an Alumni Network (AIN), which provides additional support for students interested in developing their leadership skills. AIN members master advanced advocacy concepts, serve as mentors for incoming students, and have access to internship, job and scholarship opportunities.

Analysis of data collected from Advocacy Institute youth participants revealed that all participating youth felt that overall the Advocacy Institute was a good or excellent experience, with 86 percent of them reporting that it was excellent, that it was empowering, and that they took action! A one-month follow up survey demonstrated every participant had either participated in the AI alumni network or planned to participate soon; of those who participated to date, half or more reported enhanced skills in communication (75%), problem solving (50%), and action planning (50%) due to participation in the alumni network. Lastly, seven out of every eight participants (87.5%) reported they would be interested in receiving additional training and/or resources in advocacy.

Presenters will discuss AI’s core values and key components of the training curriculum. We will also demonstrate AI’s benefits on youth participants, their peers and surrounding communities through youth participants’ projects, and will highlight some of AI’s recent successes, which include: a successful social media campaign, #Philly1st, an annual peer-led Youth Summit, meetings with numerous community leaders and elected officials, and being named the 2018 Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Youth Advocate of the Year Group Award winner.