Blake Named National Youth Ambassador By Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids
Posted
Staff Report-
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three Indiana students have been named as National Youth and Young Adult Ambassadors by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for demonstrating leadership in fighting tobacco use in their communities.
These young leaders were among 133 youth and young adults from 33 states who participated in the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids’ Digital Advocacy Symposium, a five-day online training session focused on building advocacy, communications and leadership skills, according to a news release from the Campaign.
The Youth and Young Adult Ambassadors will work with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to advocate for effective policies to reduce youth tobacco use at the federal, state and local levels. These policies include ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products.
The local ambassador is Cayman Blake, 14, Warsaw, an incoming high school freshman. He has been involved in tobacco control and prevention for five years in the community with Kosciusko County Tobacco-Free Teens. Cayman has worked on a variety of policy issues including Tobacco 21 and cigarette tax increases and has educated his peers on the harms of tobacco products. Cayman will continue to build his advocacy skills as an ambassador in the coming year.
The other two Indiana students are Lauren Silcox, 16, from Greenfield, and Annie Twyford, 17, from New Palestine.
“We are thrilled to welcome this new class of Youth and Young Adult Ambassadors, whose passion and leadership will help us create the first tobacco-free generation,” said Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Young people are critical voices in the fight against tobacco because they speak from experience about how they are targeted by the tobacco industry. Policy makers should listen and support strong policies to protect our kids, including a prohibition on all flavored tobacco products.”
The Youth and Young Adult Ambassadors were selected through a competitive application process and participated in the Digital Advocacy Symposium.
