June 12, 2009 - The National Conference on Tobacco or Health invited HRiA to present The 84, an innovative youth tobacco prevention movement, at its June meeting. HRiA's communications and youth work experts also conducted an oral presentation about youth organizing, focusing on the web and grassroots strategy and showcasing Massachusetts youths' accomplishments in the statewide tobacco prevention movement.

Developed by and for young people in Massachusetts, The 84 represents the 84% of youth who do not smoke and instead, engage in other more healthy and creative outlets such as music, sports and self-expression. At the heart of The 84 is a dynamic website, the84.org, where young people can meet, empower one another, and engage in a variety of tobacco prevention activities and advocacy in order to make the 84 movement even bigger.

Offline or grassroots strategies engage young people in creative competition within school and youth group settings, that allow them to express their individuality and opposition to smoking and tobacco company marketing via photography, digital art, high-visibility events, and creative writing. Furthermore, The 84 youth organized together to advocate for policy change to make their communities healthier.

Since July 1, 2007, over 600,000 young people in Massachusetts have been involved with or touched by The 84 movement, and there have been well over 1 million page views to the84.org. The 84 continues to build statewide momentum.

The 84 is funded by The Massachusetts Department of Public Health's Tobacco Control Program.

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