News
Youth Convene to Kick Tobacco off School Campuses and Playgrounds
March 5, 2010 - Youth leaders from Chatham, Clinch, Evans, Tattnall, and Toombs County will gather from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 6, at the St. Pius X Family Resource Center in Savannah to learn skills that will allow them to advocate for tobacco-free school and park policies in their community.
More than 60 participants will take part in the 2010 Youth Tobacco-Free Policy Summit. The Coastal and Southeast Health Districts have joined forces to support and conduct the summit.
"Children should be protected from tobacco. It has no business on school or play grounds," said Cristina Gibson, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Director for the Coastal Health District. "I am so proud that it is our young people that are pushing this effort in conjunction with the Georgia's public health community."
Workshops will be presented by a North Carolina-based organization, Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!), that has a track record of getting policies passed using a youth empowerment approach. YES! is a non-profit with a mission to empower youth, in partnership with adults, to create community change.