Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!)

LeAra McKinney was honored with the Rising Youth Star Award from Substance Abuse and Prevention Services of the Carolinas in Charlotte, NC, on October 17, 2008. LeAra McKinney, a Youth Empowered Solutions staff member, has been a part of the Question Why program for 3 consecutive years, working diligently on teen tobacco prevention and cessation in Mecklenburg County and North Carolina. In that time, LeAra has emerged as a leader of this program that provides training and technical assistance to those working in tobacco prevention across the state. In her Youth Leader position, LeAra creates and leads trainings that teach other youth about the dangers of tobacco, as well as media literacy, advocacy, and merchant education. LeAra has led workshops at both the 2006 statewide youth summit “Play to Win, Play to Live” held in Raleigh, and the 2008 Charlotte-area female empowerment and advocacy event “TRU Beauty.” She has worked locally with the Tobacco Reality Unfiltered community group to host events for the annual Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids event Kick Butts Day. LeAra’s current initiative is working with the Health Department and the Smoke Free Mecklenburg Coalition to advocate to the Charlotte Area Transit System to adopt a 100% Tobacco Free Policy for the uptown transit hub.

Youth Empowered Solutions received the Excellence in Community Outreach Award at the 2008 American Lung Association of the Atlantic Coast Awards Recognition Banquet on Sept. 19, 2008.

Among those honored were NC Representatives Jennifer Weiss, Martha Alexander, Rick Glazier, Hugh Holliman and NC Senator William PurcellYES! Board Member, Sherry Heuser, YES! Executive Director Bronwyn Lucas and YES! graduated Youth Leader, Lee Storrow.

Awards were presented by William Fulkerson, Jr. MD, Chiar of the NC Leadership Board of ALA Melina Davis-Martin, President & CEO of ALA of Atlantic Coast.

When Question Why started, it was obvious to the staff that capturing the process and the outcomes for grassroots, youth-led policy work is difficult to evaluate.  As a result, an evaluation style called the Community Change Chronicle (CCC) was created.  Recently, this evaluation technique was published in Health Promotions Practices.  Check out the published article.  

Chad Bullock, 19, of Durham, NC has won the 2008 Teen Choice Award for his advocacy work in tobacco prevention. Teen Choice and Do Something.org joined forces to create this non-celebrity category. Scarlett Johansson presented the award. Watch below as one of our very own youth graduates one this awesome award and $100,000 towards the cause of his choice. Read more about Chad at WRAL STORY LINK.

YOU TUBE TEEN CHOICE AWARDS LINK 

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