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.
Upcoming Training Sessions in Three Regions
TASK is holding training sessions in three regions across Kansas for teens designed to educate and encourage teens to ask questions and seek answers about the tobacco industry’s marketing and manufacturing practices. Training will be in the following locations from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm with registration at 8:30. The sessions are free and will include lunch and prizes.
Southeast Region:
Training will be September 20th at the Neosho County Community College in Chanute.
Counties: Allen, Neosho, Bourbon, Crawford, Labette, Montgomery, and Cherokee.
North Central Region:
Training will be September 20th at the Kansas State University Student Union in Manhattan.
Counties: Jewell, Cloud, Mitchell, Washington, Republic, Lincoln, Dickinson, Clay and Ottawa.
Southwest Region:
Training will be September 27th at the Clarion in Garden City.
Counties: Wichita, Scott, Lane, Ness, Hodgeman, Finney, Kearny, Gray, Haskell, Grant and Meade.
TASK youth involvement video
Coming Soon: New Grant Opportunities
Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition is one of only 11 agencies to be awarded a truth® or Consequences grant from the American Legacy Foundation®, a national public health foundation devoted to tobacco use prevention and cessation. TFKC will receive $95,000 this year to connect new TASK youth groups with tobacco prevention campaigns to enhance a new wave of media ads. This new grant opportunity expands youth-lead efforts in Kansas to increase the number of teens committed to revealing the truth about the tobacco companies’ manufacturing and marketing practices. Click here for more information.
The Magical Amount
Part of “The Truth” anti-smoking ads, fairytale creatures sing about how the tobacco companies put just the right amount of nicotine in cigarettes to get people hooked. View video here.
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.
