| ISLAND TEENS ADVOCACY TEAM ITAT NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2024 Our awesome ITAT students performing at the Miss Tausala Pageant! Busy Summer! This August marked an exciting beginning for our ITAT students as we kicked off the new school year with our Annual Leadership Summit. With the largest leadership team we’ve ever had—6 members of our Presidency and 10 dedicated Ministas. Our students are more equipped than ever to make a meaningful impact. These young leaders are not only focused on our high school programs but are also spearheading our new Middle School Outreach Program. This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between middle and high school, ensuring that younger students are familiar with the ITAT platform before they reach high school. It’s a crucial effort, as data shows that middle school students are at a particularly vulnerable age for experimenting with vaping and tobacco products, which can have devastating long-term effects. At our Leadership Summit, the ITAT team laid out a comprehensive plan for the year, with a focus on advocacy, leadership, and cultural enrichment. A key highlight was a traditional Samoan sasa (cultural dance) workshop, which our young leaders are now teaching to the entire class, fostering cultural pride and unity. We also emphasized the importance of understanding the dangers of vaping and tobacco use, which remain significant issues within our community. According to the CDC, vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, lung damage, and can serve as a gateway to traditional tobacco products. Our students are committed to educating their peers about these risks and advocating for a healthier future. Follow our instagram @islandteenadvocacyteam for more content to learn from and share! Don’t forget to check out our Instagram, where we post weekly about healthy habits specifically for Pacific Islanders. Follow us to stay updated on tips, events, and ways to support our community in leading healthier lives. We are thrilled to see how these initiatives unfold throughout the school year and are confident that our ITAT students will continue to make waves in their schools and communities. Awesome update within vape/tobacco legislation: Teens can now use My Life My Quit, a confidential cessation resource, without parental consent, making it easier and more accessible for teens to quit smoking. Text "Start My Quit" to 36072 to get started! Good luck in the new school year! Check out our Instagram @islandteenadvocacyteam for more photos and videos from our activities this month, upcoming events, and resources! Tobacco Resources: 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! You can always call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to get help on quitting! Visit Our Site Let's be buddies |
ISLAND TEENS ADVOCACY TEAM
ITAT NEWSLETTER
AUGUST 2024
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Our awesome ITAT students performing at the Miss Tausala Pageant! | |
This August marked an exciting beginning for our ITAT students as we kicked off the new school year with our Annual Leadership Summit. With the largest leadership team we’ve ever had—6 members of our Presidency and 10 dedicated Ministas. Our students are more equipped than ever to make a meaningful impact. These young leaders are not only focused on our high school programs but are also spearheading our new Middle School Outreach Program. This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between middle and high school, ensuring that younger students are familiar with the ITAT platform before they reach high school. It’s a crucial effort, as data shows that middle school students are at a particularly vulnerable age for experimenting with vaping and tobacco products, which can have devastating long-term effects. | |
At our Leadership Summit, the ITAT team laid out a comprehensive plan for the year, with a focus on advocacy, leadership, and cultural enrichment. A key highlight was a traditional Samoan sasa (cultural dance) workshop, which our young leaders are now teaching to the entire class, fostering cultural pride and unity. We also emphasized the importance of understanding the dangers of vaping and tobacco use, which remain significant issues within our community. According to the CDC, vaping can lead to nicotine addiction, lung damage, and can serve as a gateway to traditional tobacco products. Our students are committed to educating their peers about these risks and advocating for a healthier future. | |
Follow our instagram @islandteenadvocacyteam for more content to learn from and share! | |
Don’t forget to check out our Instagram, where we post weekly about healthy habits specifically for Pacific Islanders. Follow us to stay updated on tips, events, and ways to support our community in leading healthier lives. We are thrilled to see how these initiatives unfold throughout the school year and are confident that our ITAT students will continue to make waves in their schools and communities.
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Awesome update within vape/tobacco legislation: Teens can now use My Life My Quit, a confidential cessation resource, without parental consent, making it easier and more accessible for teens to quit smoking.
Text "Start My Quit" to 36072 to get started!
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Good luck in the new school year! | |
Check out our Instagram @islandteenadvocacyteam for more photos and videos from our activities this month, upcoming events, and resources!
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Tobacco Resources:
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!
You can always call 1-800-QUIT-NOW to get help on quitting!
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