Students from Crofton High School joined nearly 150 Nebraska youth at the No Limits Fall Summit Nov. 20-21 at Camp Comeca near Cozad.
No Limits is Nebraska’s youth-led anti-tobacco program. The summit provided information about the tobacco industry’s efforts to attract new users for its products and tools to engage youth in anti-tobacco activism.
CHS participants included Hannah Eskins, Olivia Monaghan, Kaylea Chase, and KayLee Hoffman. Jackie Freeman was the adult sponsor for the group.
“Teens have heard about the health effects of tobacco use, but they might not know what the tobacco industry has done to hide that information and mislead the public,” said Amanda Mortensen, No Limits project coordinator. “We want youth to feel empowered and know that they can change the influence Big Tobacco has on Nebraska.”
Armed with information, youth attending the summit can fight the impact tobacco companies have in their own communities using activism approaches learned at the summit.
Crofton’s students have selected several activism activities to participate in over the course of the rest of the school year. Be on the look out at upcoming basketball games for the glimpse of some of the tactics Big Tobacco uses to target youth.
The No Limits Fall Summit included youth in grades 7-12. The event was free for participants, and No Limits provided transportation for the youth to and from the summit.
For information about No Limits and the group’s upcoming activities, visit www.NoLimitsNebraska.com or contact Mortensen at 866-FYI-TEEN (866-394-8336) or info@nolimitsnebras.wpengine.com.
Smoking Facts
In 2009, 18.4 percent of Nebraska high school students smoked. That’s down from 39.2 percent in 1997. (Source: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services)
90 percent of all adult smokers began smoking in their teens or earlier. (Source: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)
Almost one out of every five high school girls in America is a smoker (18.7%). (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control)
Each day, about 1,000 people under 18 years of age become regular smokers. (Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control)
Big Tobacco spends an estimated $72.1 million annually on marketing in Nebraska. (Source: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)