Burlington Youth Changemakers Attend Vermont Youth Summit

Burlington middle schoolers showed their passion for supporting health and wellness when a group of 9 students from Edmunds and Hunt Middle Schools accompanied two BSD Student Assistant Program Counselors and Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community staff to Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, Vermont. They joined other teens from across the state to learn about tobacco related issues impacting youth at the OVX Youth Leadership Summit. 150 middle and high school students and their advisors attended the summit to participate in workshops led by Dover Youth to Youth. Students were given new tools and resources to engage, educate, and inform their peers and community about the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics tobacco and vape companies use to target youth with attractive yet toxic products. 

Students also had an opportunity to let their voices be heard by participating in a video project to inform Vermonters about the flavored tobacco products that are attractive to youth and are contributing to a new generation of youth becoming addicted to nicotine. It was exciting to watch the middle schoolers from Burlington get inspired with new ideas to support tobacco prevention in their community and their schools.