Kick Butts Day Offers Opportunities to Involve Youth in Tobacco Prevention

On March 28, 2007, thousands of youth around the world will join the fight against smoking by participating in Kick Butts Day, an effort led by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. For community anti-drug coalitions, Kick Butts Day offers an opportunity to involve youth members in the anti-smoking effort and to increase awareness about the dangers of smoking.

Youth advocates from around the country contributed to the new and improved Kick Butts Day Activity Guide, and CD ROM, which include activity and event ideas for youth of all ages. The free guide, CD ROM and additional materials are available at www.kickbuttsday.org and can serve as an important resource not only on Kick Butts Day, but also throughout the year. From recruiting new members to hosting a rally, in the materials coalitions will be able to find examples of what worked and what didn’t, how to catch the media’s attention, and how to have fun while getting your message out.

Despite the known health risks of tobacco use, including emphysema and death, smoking continues to be widely used among both youth and adults. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 24.9 percent—or 71.5 million—of individuals aged 12 or older were current tobacco users. And the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids notes that the tobacco industry spends more than $15.4 billion per year, more than $42 million per day, to market and advertise its products—much of it aimed at kids.

Kick Butts Day not only serves as a chance to educate kids of all ages about the dangers of tobacco, but also acts as an opportunity for youth advocates to take matters into their own hands and achieve real results in the field of tobacco prevention, control and education. The event encourages activism and leadership among elementary, middle and high school students, with rallies and events taking place in every state, and several nations. In 2006 alone, nearly 2,000 events across all 50 states generated hundreds of television, newspaper and radio stories reaching more than 20 million viewers.

Visit www.kickbuttsday.org to order a free Kick Butts Day Guide and register events. Visit the “Activities” section of the Web site for additional materials that are only available in the Kick Butts Day online activity guide.