Health Communication News
Youth at the Forefront of Tobacco Policy Change
Kick Butts Day, 2010
March 29, 2010
The 84 Movement: youth at the forefront of tobacco policy change Representing the 84% of young people in Massachusetts who choose not to smoke and instead engage in other healthy, positive behaviors, The 84 Movement is leading the way for significant tobacco policy change in communities throughout the Commonwealth. A project of HRiA and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, The 84 Movement engages and reaches thousands of young people through organized "84 Chapters" and a vibrant online community, www.the84.org. Young people guide and inform all aspects of the project, from statewide activity planning to website design and content creation.
Through The 84 Movement, young people build skills to promote healthy social norms and bring about tobacco-related policy change in their schools and communities. This year, 15 Chapters are conducting environmental research on the availability of other tobacco products (such as snus - or smokeless tobacco, dissolvable tobacco, and little cigars) and exposure to tobacco advertising in retail stores which aims to lure youth - particularly youth of color - to tobacco use. Over 200 students from 84 Chapters presented these findings to legislators on "Kick Butts Day" in March (an annual national event focusing on tobacco cessation) at the statehouse and to stakeholder groups in their communities. Teens will also participate in an annual film shorts contest, using digital and film technology to expose Big Tobacco and express why the are a part of The 84.
Offline activities are supported by The 84's online community. www.the84.org provides a virtual place for The 84 members to meet, share ideas and best practices, and build their statewide movement. The site offers blogs, awareness raising activities, Chapter updates, advocacy initiatives, and other interactive tools. The 84 also has a presence on Facebook and My Space and film shorts' can be found on YouTube, offering multiple ways for young people to be a part of this growing grassroots tobacco-free movement.
Through The 84 Movement, young people build skills to promote healthy social norms and bring about tobacco-related policy change in their schools and communities. This year, 15 Chapters are conducting environmental research on the availability of other tobacco products (such as snus - or smokeless tobacco, dissolvable tobacco, and little cigars) and exposure to tobacco advertising in retail stores which aims to lure youth - particularly youth of color - to tobacco use. Over 200 students from 84 Chapters presented these findings to legislators on "Kick Butts Day" in March (an annual national event focusing on tobacco cessation) at the statehouse and to stakeholder groups in their communities. Teens will also participate in an annual film shorts contest, using digital and film technology to expose Big Tobacco and express why the are a part of The 84.
Offline activities are supported by The 84's online community. www.the84.org provides a virtual place for The 84 members to meet, share ideas and best practices, and build their statewide movement. The site offers blogs, awareness raising activities, Chapter updates, advocacy initiatives, and other interactive tools. The 84 also has a presence on Facebook and My Space and film shorts' can be found on YouTube, offering multiple ways for young people to be a part of this growing grassroots tobacco-free movement.
« Return
Jodie Silverman, MPA
