Ramsey County Youth Advocates Honored as “Group Advocates of the Year”

Teens representing the Ramsey County Student Action Team (SAT) accepted the Group Advocates of the Year award from the national organization Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on May 8, 2025. Clara Seeley of White Bear Lake, Summer Balfanz of Roseville, and Mỹ Linh Nguyẽn of Arden Hills, accepted the award on behalf of the entire SAT group. The award recognizes the group's leadership in preventing nicotine addiction among their peers.

SAT youth were motivated by their experiences watching other teens begin to vape and saw how it dramatically changed their lives. They were tired of locked bathrooms and the odor of vapes in their classrooms. They decided to do something about it and joined the SAT group to educate their peers, adults, and decision makers about the harms of nicotine and opportunities to make an impact through advocacy and policy change.

“I got involved with the SAT because I didn't want to see any more people lose their lives to Big Tobacco. Change won't happen if we don't speak up,” Seely said.

SAT activities over the past two years have included supporting tobacco policy ordinances in Vadnais Heights, Arden Hills, New Brighton and Saint Anthony Village. The group advocated for a bill at the state Capitol to end the sale of flavored commercial tobacco statewide. They spoke at Attorney General Keith Ellison’s news conference celebrating a bill authored by Senator Heather Gustafson (SD 36) prohibiting the sale of ‘deceptive’ vapes. The group also helped conduct age-of-sale compliance checks with law enforcement and led educational presentations to middle schoolers on the harms of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products.

“I got involved with SAT to do something beyond myself. I am most proud of our policy work to create real change, and I was most surprised about how receptive young students are to our education work,” Nguyẽn said.

The SAT group is led by staff from the Association for Nonsmokers - MN and is partially funded by a grant from Saint Paul - Ramsey County Public Health through the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) of the Minnesota Department of Health. SHIP supported partnerships are designed to create healthier systems and environments where people live, work, learn and play. A total of 21 youth from 11 communities participate in the SAT group.

A Minnesota youth group also won Group Advocates of the Year in 2010 for their advocacy to end the sale of imitation candy tobacco products and novelty lighters in the City of St. Paul.