Media Communications Technology High School Students Participate in the 2011 Kick Butts Day

Students from Media Communications Technology High School recently participated in the 2011 Kick Butts Day event held at the State House on March 23.     

The students are a part of "The 84 Movement" that helps organize youth to curb the influence of the tobacco industry in their community. In addition to curbing youth tobacco use, this year’s Kick Butts Day activities focused on the deceptive ways the tobacco industry target youth.  

“It is important for us to raise awareness among adults that youth are still being targeted by the tobacco industry,” said Becky Oh, statewide planning committee member for The 84.  “As more and more adults become aware of the new and cheap products that are being marketed toward us, the easier it is for us to work together to fight the dangerous influence of the tobacco industry in our communities.”

The students joined more than 250 of their peers from across the state in Boston and began their day with a youth-led program and training.  After the youth-led programming students went to the State House to meet with elected officials and attended an event with the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, John Auerbach, State Senator Fargo, and State Reps Garballey and Sannicandro. Auerbach presented information detailing the youth-friendly pricing, packaging, and availability strategies that the tobacco industry uses to make their products accessible to youth - the kind of stuff the The 84 is fighting against. 

Kick Butts Day is a national initiative, organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, to empower youth and celebrate the work that they do to take action against tobacco use and to raise awareness that Big Tobacco targets youth. 

The84 Movement is managed by Health Resources in Action and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program.