Youth from Waltham Celebrate Kick Butts Day at Massachusetts State House to Combat Tobacco Industry

Contact:

Larissa Swenson, MPA

Bay State Community Services

857-939-4528
lswenson@baystatecs.org

(Waltham, MA) May 1, 2017… Seven young women from Waltham joined other youth from across the Commonwealth last week for a Kick Butts Day event to celebrate their role in reducing the influence of the tobacco industry in their communities. The 26 participating chapters, including the Waltham Trailblazers of the Waltham Youth and Community Coalition, are all members of The 84 Movement that engages young people in educating others about tobacco industry tactics, participating in local change efforts and promoting the norm that most youth do not smoke.

During an awards ceremony, awards were presented to individuals and chapters of The 84 Movement for their dedication to reducing the impact of tobacco in their communities and across Massachusetts. The Adult Advisor Award was presented to Shanesha Christmas from the Waltham Trailblazers for her dedication to youth tobacco prevention and promoting youth voices. Shanesha, a Prevention Specialist and Peer Advisor at Wayside Multi-Service Center, advises the chapter. She reflected on how enthusiastic she is about working with Waltham youth.

“Accepting the Youth Advisor of the Year Award means so much to me,” Christmas said. “Working with youth has been a passion of mine for the past seven years . . . Being part of the 84 Movement for the past two years has allowed me to bring new, innovative projects to my youth, encouraging them to build their knowledge around tobacco prevention and using that knowledge to make a change in their communities and in Massachusetts.”

Youth met with lawmakers at the State House to express their concerns about tobacco, and particularly the rise of e-cigarettes, in their communities. The young women from the Waltham Trailblazers met with staff from Senator Michael Barrett’s office where they expressed their concerns regarding tobacco use amongst their peers, how the tobacco industry uses fruit and candy flavored tobacco products to target young people, and how the tobacco industry makes these products cheap and available at gas stations, corner stores, and other places youth frequently visit. According to Sherley Ortiz-Robles, a member of the Statewide Leadership Team of The 84 Movement, “People think the tobacco problem is solved, but it’s not. We know that e-cigarettes are harmful to youth, as defined by the U.S. Surgeon General, and their use should be restricted just like regular cigarettes.”

The young people participated in an inspiring opening program with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health, Dr. Monica Bharel who told the youth, “We can’t stand by and watch the tobacco industry hook another generation on its deadly products. And you are not watching—you are acting. You are true community leaders taking the tobacco industry head on.” The youth also heard from Representatives Kate Hogan, Paul McMurtry and Senator Jason Lewis about how the tobacco industry targets them with products that are sweet, cheap and easy to get. All youth attendees were applauded for their dedication to promoting healthy choices among their peers and for sharing with legislators what they see and experience every day in their communities.

Young women from the Waltham Trailblazers chapter of the 84 Movement visit with staff from Senator Michael Barrett’s (D-3rd Middlesex District) office during Kick Butts Day on Wednesday, April 26th at the Massachusetts State House. As part of The 84 Movement, Massachusetts youth attended a youth-led rally, marched across the Boston Common to the State House and talked with their lawmakers to express their concerns. Kick Butts Day is an annual event that highlights how youth fight the influence of the tobacco industry in their communities. Pictured clockwise from bottom: Communications Director Brendon Berger, Legislative Aide Hannah Walford, Loretta Mugisa, Steffi Dol, Chapter Adult Advisor Shanesha Christmas, Allissa Masse, Safirah Norbert, Mish Oscar, and Val Mamish. Not pictured with chapter: Havo Akobirshoeva, Member of The 84 Statewide Leadership Team.

The 84 is a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program, developed and managed in partnership with Health Resources in Action. For more information on The 84 Movement and the work being done throughout the Commonwealth to make smoking history, visit www.The84.org and www.makesmokinghistory.org.

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.

About The 84 Movement

The 84 Movement is a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health developed and managed in partnership with Health Resources in Action. Created in 2007 to represent the 84% of Massachusetts youth who did not smoke cigarettes (in 2015 that number was 92%), The 84 Movement is a tobacco prevention program that empowers young people to fight the influence of the tobacco industry in their community.

To find out more information on The 84 Movement and the work being done throughout the Commonwealth to make smoking history, visit www.The84.org and www.makesmokinghistory.org.

The Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership supports communities’ efforts to lower smoking prevalence and exposure to secondhand smoke; enhance state and local tobacco control efforts by exposing tobacco industry tactics, mobilizing the community to support and adopt evidence-based policies, and changing social norms. Funded by the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program, Community Partnerships serve as a resource for local coalitions, health and human service agencies, municipalities, and workplaces on tobacco intervention efforts.

###