TASK is Kansas’ youth-led movement that promotes tobacco free teens and unites communities to create one strong voice speaking against the tobacco industry. TASK’s current initiative focuses on smokeless tobacco and works to establish regional boards in the Eastern, Central, and Western regions of Kansas.
New grant opportunity recently awarded
The Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition (TFKC) and TASK, the statewide youth movement against tobacco, recently awarded grants with funding from the Sunflower Foundation for a "Smokeless Does Not Mean Harmless" project to increase youth knowledge and reduce usage of spit tobacco in Kansas. Mini-grants were awarded to youth groups in amounts ranging from $500 to $1,500 to implement grassroots and media strategies through March 15, 2008. Awardees include: Cloud County Task Force, Concordia; Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)/Sedan High School in Chautauqua County; Lane County TASK, Dighton; Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)/Troy High School, Doniphan County; Youth United/Salina, Saline County; Falcons Against Destructive Decisions (FADD)/Fairfield High School, Langdon, Reno County; Smoke Free Tiger Task Force/Stockton Middle School, Rooks County; Students Taking Action in Topeka (STAT), Shawnee County; Louisburg Teens Against Tobacco, Miami County; Mustangs Fit for Life, Highland, Doniphan County; Republic County Middle School Students, Belleville; Meade High School Key Club, Meade County; and Heartland TASK, Great Bend, Barton County.
You don't always die from tobacco.
Part of "The Truth" anti-smoking ads, a singing cowboy rides through the streets of NYC, mechanically intoning a cowpoke song through his tracheotomy voicebox.
TASK- Smokeless Does Not Mean Harmless
Kansas has a higher than average use of smokeless tobacco among high school males. According to the 2002 Kansas Youth Tobacco Survey approximately one out of every three youth do not know that smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. This shows a great need to increase teens’ knowledge about smokeless tobacco!
Targets youth ages 12-17 in an effort to educate and prevent smokeless tobacco use and encourage quitting.
Local youth groups will participate in creative trainings designed to promote quitting and decrease the likelihood of youth starting to use smokeless tobacco.
Mini-grants have been awarded to local youth groups to create counter-marketing messages, and to promote tobacco-free county fairs and rodeos in each of the three regions.
