Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition Hosts Press Conference - October 13th, 2011
On September 10, the Northwest Arkansas Tobacco-Free Coalition hosted a Press Conference on the front steps of the Fayetteville Town Square. They received a great deal of community support in response to the youth’s activities and their word-of-mouth/social media campaign leading up to the event.
On the day of the conference, 16 high school students distributed counter-marketing materials to patrons of the Fayetteville Farmer’s Market. They wore t-shirts with targets spray-painted on the back and a number on the front ranging from 1-120 to represent the statistic that they refuse to become. 120 pairs of shoes representing the 120 people in Fayetteville who die each year from tobacco related illness were laid on the steps, delivering an impactful visual message.
Jonathan Carlsmith, NWATFC Project Coordinator, worked tirelessly with students to create strategically-worded facts about tobacco which students read into megaphones at the press conference. “We were very pleased with the turnout and estimate that 50 members of the community attended and that the megaphones were heard in the immediate area,” Mr. Carlsmith reflected.
Highlights from the day:
- A student speaker shared a deeply personal story about the loss of his father to lung cancer as a result of tobacco use.
- Greg Leding, District 92 House representative, presented poster-sized checks directly to the youth, sending an effective message to the community. The checks, which totaled $108,875, were awards from ADH TPCP and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office for NWATFC’s continued tobacco control efforts.
- Another student speaker concluded the conference with a powerful Call to Action, wherein she reminded the audience that tobacco use is not just a personal decision and that Big Tobacco preys on youth, even producing products that “taste and look like candy.” She charged adults to “be there to protect [youth],” and be their voice in the community since they are not old enough to vote. “It is your responsibility to support us when we say, “WE WILL NOT FILL THE SHOES OF DEAD SMOKERS! Please take action! Thank you.”
