| ISLAND TEENS ADVOCACY TEAM ITAT NEWSLETTER February 2021 Cedar Valley ITAT This month, our Cedar Valley ITAT club held their first official club meeting of the school year and since COVID-19 began. Our Island teens from Cedar Valley expressed during their meeting that there are 3 main things they would like to address as a club this year; drugs/tobacco/vaping, mental health, and bullying. They also addressed the importance of clearing cookies so that tobacco retailers can't target youth online. "There was an activity planned. They each were given an Oreo cookie and placed it on their forehead. Without touching the cookie with their hands, they had to find a way to get the cookie from their forehead to their mouth. With this activity, we shared information about ‘cookies’ and how to stop the cookies/tracking. Kids were excited to remove cookies from their phones as we were speaking about it." -Victoria Ah You, club advisor Cedar Valley ITAT also discussed how to make changes in their communities using their own stories relating to vaping and tobacco products, and the importance of mental health and wellness in their lives. Our ITAT students also wrote letters to their local legislators concerning tobacco related legislation. We are so proud of our Island Teens for using their voices for change! Cedar Valley ITAT students at their meeting Cedar Valley ITAT students at their cookies activity ITAT Student Spotlight: Gideon Cline Our ITAT spotlight of the month is Cedar Valley High School: Gideon Cline. Gideon Cline is the second eldest of 7 siblings. He is an example. A beacon of light. The lighthouse in the storm. Not only is his presence unmistakable, you can count on Gideon wherever he is. If you need a friend, you need help, a listening trusted ear, Gideon is there. He is dependable. He welcomes anyone and everyone. He has a heart of gold. He is compassionate and well aware of his surroundings and the surroundings of others and helps people feel at peace being themselves and feeling accepted. He loves to have a great time and always includes others. Through his actions, he says 'I'm here, I got you'. He is versatile as he plays different sports and positions. He received the defensive player of the game with a position he was just getting to know. He is determined. He is not afraid to learn, adapt, move, and adjust. He is never afraid to stand for what he believes and what he feels is right. We are so fortunate to have Gideon as the President of the Cedar Valley ITAT. We love the versatility he and his presidency bring. All of their many talents brewed together make the perfect potion for positive motion in advocacy. We love you Gideon. Thank you for being you! Tobacco Facts: MY LIFE MY QUIT: mylifemyquit.com is a new service available to teens, to assist them in quitting the highly addictive nicotine products that comprise the teen vaping epidemic. All they need to do is text "Start My Quit" 855-891-9989 to talk or text with a quit coach to cheer them on in their journey of quitting! The most popular e-cigarette, JUUL, emerged in 2015 and quickly established itself as a leading e-cigarette product, comprising nearly three-quarters (73.4%) of the e-cigarette marketplace by July 2019. In the U.S., JUUL devices were originally introduced with a 5% nicotine salt pod. Following suit, JUUL competitors began offering nicotine salt concentrations as high as 7% in what has been called a “nicotine arms race.” However, in 2018, JUUL introduced a lower nicotine pod, with 3% nicotine strength. The current use rate among middle schoolers rose from 0.6% in 2011 to 10.5% in 2019.The rate dropped to 4.7% in 2020. (Utah DOH, center4research.com , tobaccofreekids.org, truthinitiative.org ) Suicide Facts : Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages Suicide rates increased 33% between 1999 and 2019 47,173 Americans died of suicide in 2017 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth are almost 5 times more likely to attempt suicide. There were twice as many suicides as there were homicides in the US in 2017(https://ibis.health.utah.gov, https://healthcare.utah.edu, CDC): COVID UPDATE: The Pacific Islander community in Utah has the highest rates of COVID-19. Please continue to practice safe social distancing practices and wear masks in public places! To get scheduled for the vaccine, go to healthevents.utahcounty.gov or call (801)851-7183 UPCOMING EVENTS: May 15th: ITAT leadership conference Visit Our Site Let's be buddies |
ISLAND TEENS ADVOCACY TEAM
ITAT NEWSLETTER
February 2021
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This month, our Cedar Valley ITAT club held their first official club meeting of the school year and since COVID-19 began.
Our Island teens from Cedar Valley expressed during their meeting that there are 3 main things they would like to address as a club this year; drugs/tobacco/vaping, mental health, and bullying. They also addressed the importance of clearing cookies so that tobacco retailers can't target youth online.
"There was an activity planned. They each were given an Oreo cookie and placed it on their forehead. Without touching the cookie with their hands, they had to find a way to get the
cookie from their forehead to their mouth. With this activity, we shared information about ‘cookies’ and how to stop the cookies/tracking. Kids were excited to remove cookies from their phones as we were speaking about it." -Victoria Ah You, club advisor
Cedar Valley ITAT also discussed how to make changes in their communities using their own stories relating to vaping and tobacco products, and the importance of mental health and wellness in their lives.
Our ITAT students also wrote letters to their local legislators concerning tobacco related legislation. We are so proud of our Island Teens for using their voices for change!
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Cedar Valley ITAT students at their meeting | | |
Cedar Valley ITAT students at their cookies activity | | |
ITAT Student Spotlight: Gideon Cline | |
Our ITAT spotlight of the month is Cedar Valley High School: Gideon Cline. Gideon Cline is the second eldest of 7 siblings. He is an example. A beacon of light. The lighthouse in the storm. Not only is his presence unmistakable, you can count on Gideon wherever he is. If you need a friend, you need help, a listening trusted ear, Gideon is there. He is dependable. He welcomes anyone and everyone. He has a heart of gold. He is compassionate and well aware of his surroundings and the surroundings of others and helps people feel at peace being themselves and feeling accepted. He loves to have a great time and always includes others. Through his actions, he says 'I'm here, I got you'.
He is versatile as he plays different sports and positions. He received the defensive player of the game with a position he was just getting to know. He is determined. He is not afraid to learn, adapt, move, and adjust. He is never afraid to stand for what he believes and what he feels is right.
We are so fortunate to have Gideon as the President of the Cedar Valley ITAT. We love the versatility he and his presidency bring. All of their many talents brewed together make the perfect potion for positive motion in advocacy. We love you Gideon. Thank you for being you!
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Tobacco Facts:
MY LIFE MY QUIT: mylifemyquit.com is a new service available to teens, to assist them in quitting the highly addictive nicotine products that comprise the teen vaping epidemic. All they need to do is text "Start My Quit" 855-891-9989 to talk or text with a quit coach to cheer them on in their journey of quitting!
- The most popular e-cigarette, JUUL, emerged in 2015 and quickly established itself as a leading e-cigarette product, comprising nearly three-quarters (73.4%) of the e-cigarette marketplace by July 2019.
- In the U.S., JUUL devices were originally introduced with a 5% nicotine salt pod. Following suit, JUUL competitors began offering nicotine salt concentrations as high as 7% in what has been called a “nicotine arms race.” However, in 2018, JUUL introduced a lower nicotine pod, with 3% nicotine strength.
- The current use rate among middle schoolers rose from 0.6% in 2011 to 10.5% in 2019.The rate dropped to 4.7% in 2020.
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(Utah DOH, center4research.com, tobaccofreekids.org, truthinitiative.org)
Suicide Facts :
- Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages
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Suicide rates increased 33% between 1999 and 2019
- 47,173 Americans died of suicide in 2017
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth are almost 5 times more likely to attempt suicide.
- There were twice as many suicides as there were homicides in the US in 2017(https://ibis.health.utah.gov, https://healthcare.utah.edu, CDC):
COVID UPDATE:
The Pacific Islander community in Utah has the highest rates of COVID-19. Please continue to practice safe social distancing practices and wear masks in public places! To get scheduled for the vaccine, go to healthevents.utahcounty.gov or call (801)851-7183
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 15th: ITAT leadership conference
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