Youth Led Tobacco-Use Prevention Mini Grant
Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition is providing approximately 30 competitive grant awards of up to $1000 this fall to assist in engaging youth groups in tobacco prevention and education. The grant project is part of TFKC’s continuing support for a statewide youth movement to reduce youth use of tobacco products in communities across Kansas.
“Empowering youth to develop their own tobacco prevention systems is a proven way to reduce initiation and use of cigarettes and tobacco products,” says Mary Jayne Hellebust, Executive Director of Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition. She noted that Kansas high school smoking rates have declined from 26% in 2000 to 17.1% in 2009 but that the latest Youth Tobacco Survey statistics show that 4.1% of middle school boys and 15.5% of high school boys now report using smokeless tobacco. “These competitive mini grants help youth groups design their own projects to reveal the truth about tobacco use and the misconceptions and marketing tools that still result in almost 3,000 Kansas youth beginning to smoke each year.”
Tobacco use, which still remains a leading cause of death and disease in Kansas, usually begins before the age of 18. With funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, TFKC’s mini grant program offers funding of up to $1000 for youth-led tobacco prevention projects that impact other teens at the community level. Youth from 12-17 within school, prevention, church and social groups, youth coalitions, youth sports and afterschool programs may apply for the funding by completing a short application.
Grant applications can be obtained on the TFKC website at www.tobaccofreekansas.org or by contacting TFKC Program Coordinator Erica Anderson for applications or information at eanderson@tobaccofreekansas.org. The deadline for this round of applications is January 11, 2012.
