Events and Activities : JEL offers unique experience for youth Youth-led tobacco prevention movement

JEL offers unique experience for youth

Youth-led tobacco prevention movement creates future leaders

Parents of teenagers in Benton County will be interested in an opportunity being offered by the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). Iowa’s youth-led tobacco prevention movement, Just Eliminate Lies (JEL) has opened registration for its 10th annual summit.

The June 17-19 summit will be held on the Central College campus in Pella, Iowa. Free to current Iowa high school students and those entering high school this fall, the event provides Iowa teens with valuable experience that helps prepare them for college. There, teens can learn about leadership, connect with like-minded individuals, and develop communication skills while reducing tobacco use—Iowa’s number one cause of preventable death.

"It is gratifying to know there is a student group working together for a good cause,” said Sara Swailes, mother of JEL President Aaron Swailes. Aaron is a senior at Highland High School in Riverside in Southeast Iowa. “Our son has benefitted from the education regarding smoking and looks forward to meeting with others from different corners of the state to combine their ideas and creativity through the use of various media to promote this worthwhile cause."

Themed “Break the Connection,” the 2010 summit has been planned almost entirely by members of the 35-member JEL Executive Council. Approximately 20 adult chaperones (one per 10 students) and three registered nurses will attend the three-day event. Activities during the summit will include youth-led presentations about the deceptive practices of the tobacco industry, discussions about the dangers of tobacco use, and trainings to help teens become effective health advocates in their communities.

With nearly 150 awards for its bold and effective advertising campaigns, JEL has more than 2,300 youth members in nearly 110 high school and college chapters across the state. Since it began 10 years ago, more than 2,000 youth have participated in the annual JEL summit.

For more information about JEL and the upcoming summit, contact Elysia Cain at Area Substance Abuse Council at 319-472-2443. Information is also available at www.jeliowa.org or by calling Iowa JEL Coordinator Garin Buttermore at 515-281-4299. Registration ends May 28.