Why I became a youth tobacco prevention advocate | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Nia Kamara
April 16, 2017
As a member of FACT, Wisconsin’s youth led tobacco prevention program, tobacco use among my peers is something I feel very strongly about. FACT is extremely importing in preventing kids from smoking and using other tobacco products like e-cigs and chew.
I got involved in 2014 because I didn’t really know how bad tobacco products, but wanted to learn.  Once I had this information, I wanted to make sure that other youth had it.
I’ve been inspired by many of our FACT members.  Like Christiana, who suffers from really bad asthma and lives with her mother who is a heavy smoker.  Christiana shares her tobacco story with adults and  students so that they realize how painful exposure to secondhand smoke can be for someone with asthma.
Danielle, is also a FACT member. She was motivated to join FACT after her grandmother, who was raising her and her three sisters, died from cancer from secondhand smoke. Like all of us, Danielle works hard to reach many youth as possible and educate them about the harm that tobacco causes.  FACT provides us with information on e-cigarettes, other tobacco products and tobacco marketing practices so that we can educate others.
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Youth Prevention is important to me because it just doesn’t make sense to get sick, and maybe even die from something that can be prevented.
We appreciate that the state is working with Wisconsin’s youth to help spread the truth about tobacco to our peers throughout the state and hope to see FACT remain in the future.