Working Toward a 100% Tobacco-Free North Carolina
Published April 20, 2012 at 7:52 pm | Comments Off
By Selay Demir
YES! Youth Staff
Each year millions of teens die in U.S. due to a tobacco-related illness. After witnessing my friends getting addicted to the number one cause of preventable death, I got involved with Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!) in order to help teens understand the terrible effects of tobacco and how it can hurt them emotionally and physically.
At YES! I’ve developed skills and learned many ways to help my peers understand the harms of tobacco. Knowing that I bring awareness about this harmful product and help save lives is the main reason I love working with YES!.
With the help of YES!, teen smoking rates in North Carolina have dropped significantly. The effects of the great work we have been doing is significant and it shows with the number of lives saved by bringing awareness to the number one preventable cause of death in our country.
With our growing program, in the years to come, my biggest desire is to see the teen smoking rate drop to zero and have a 100% tobacco-free North Carolina. With our growing number of advocates who believe and support the great work that we do, we continue to work towards that goal! I am proud to be part of this legacy and see the lives we continue to save.
