Brentwood Students Help Educate Peers About Tobacco at Tree-Lighting

Brentwood, NY- Brentwood Reality Check youth participated in the Brentwood School District Annual Tree Lighting. The event is a yearly tradition to bring members of the community together for some holiday cheer. This was Reality Check’s 3rd year engaging in the festivities and educating community members on the ways the tobacco industry’s manipulative marketing practices impact youth.

Awareness was spread on how flavored tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes/vapes appeal to youth and teens. “Menthol-flavored tobacco products for example, make products smoother and better tasting, making smoking easier to start and harder to quit,” said Stacy Dacelien, Reality Check Coordinator.

Member JeanCarlo Linares Ajcot, a freshman at the freshman center, informed patrons on how youth are susceptible to tobacco product placement and advertisements seen on screen and collected signatures in support of making films that feature smoking rated R, which would limit the amount of youth exposure to smoking images by millions. These signatures are then sent to the Motion Picture Association, the organization responsible for assigning movie ratings.

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The Tobacco Action Coalition of LI is one of 21 Advancing Tobacco Free Communities’ grants funded by the NYS DOH’s Bureau of Tobacco Control and administered by the American Lung Association. Our grant is comprised of a community engagement and youth action component, Reality Check, who work collaboratively to promote environments open to creating a tobacco-free norm as well as educating and empowering our youth to become change agents within their communities