The Sixth Annual Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit will be held Wednesday, October 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Prairie Rose Room 102 at the Bismarck Civic Center.
The summit provides teens the opportunity to reach out to educate their peers on the harms of secondhand smoke and the high costs of tobacco use. The cost of tobacco use is not only monetary, but also includes the cost of personal health and how it impacts your friends and family, physical appearance, jobs and the highest cost, which is lives lost. Students in attendance will write and produce television and radio Public Service Announcements (PSAs) targeted to their age group.
The opening speaker, Jasmine Huschka, a junior from Bismarck High School, has been involved with Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) for four years and is an active member in the Bismarck community on tobacco prevention efforts.
“This summit is a chance for us to hear about the most recent developments in tobacco prevention. It's also where we learn ways to educate other students and help create a healthier, smoke-free North Dakota,” describes Huschka.
Youth Summit keynote speaker Dana Mitchell will conduct training on how to develop PSAs. Mitchell is the Prevention Coordinator for the Dover Police Department and works with the Dover Youth to Youth Program. Mitchell has empowered thousands of New Hampshire youth to use their voice in matters that affect their health, specifically tobacco. Under his supervision, members of Dover Youth to Youth have created a myriad of tobacco prevention related public service announcements for radio and print, and have created multi-media school-based presentations that have been presented internationally.
All Bismarck public high schools and middle schools, along with St. Mary’s High School and St. Mary’s 7th and 8th grade students will send student representatives and a faculty tobacco prevention coordinator to the Youth Summit.
In the weeks and months following the summit, attending students will work with their school's tobacco prevention coordinator to create activities for the Great American Smokeout (Nov. 17, 2011), Great American Spit Out (Feb. 23, 2012), and Kick Butts Day (Mar. 12, 2012).
The Bismarck Tobacco Prevention Youth Summit is organized by Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health to educate students about youth tobacco prevention activities, youth empowerment, and changing social norms.