Overview

We are a group of Students Who Are Against Tobacco. We are from White Bear Lake North Campus High School in White Bear Lake, MN. We act as positive tobacco-free role models through peer education and community advocacy projects.

In the past, S.W.A.A.T. worked on educating on the dangers of secondhand smoke and creating tobacco free environments. S.W.A.A.T. recently took on a new project on reducing youth exposure to tobacco influences and advertising in our community. In the month of October 2009 our S.W.A.A.T. group did a "Sweet Addction" campaign in our cafeteria

We have been a partner with  RTC over seven years.

Survey Findings & News

We walked around White Bear Lake near the North Campus to see how bad tobacco advertising really is in our community. S.W.A.A.T. visited three different stores.

We found that small local buisnesses had less advertisement because the owner has children and dosn't want that advertisement around his kids and other local teenagers. Bigger stores such as gas stations had more tobacco advertisement, on ceilings, walls and candy racks.

Camel ads were the most popular. The ads were everywhere! We didn't realize how much advertising is in our community until that day when we saw for ourselves how much there really is!

This year, we are going to continue our research into gas stations, drug stores, and grocery stores in our community. We want to see if there are more advertisements now, then there was two years ago.

Group Profile

Our group is made up of ninth and tenth graders. This year (2009-2010) we have ten members.

In October 2009 SWAAT hosted a "Sweet Addiction" campain in the cafeteria at North Campus. SWAAT members went around with trays of candy and tobacco products to show the similarities between candy/personal items and tobacco products. Students where shocked to see how much they looked alike. We also had a drawing for students who participated in our campaign.

Testimonials

"Today's teenager is tomorrow's potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens... The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Phillip Morris" -Phillp Morris

"The base of our business is the high school student" - Lorillard Tobacco

"Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I'm saying" - U.S. Tobacco

We think these quotes are pathetic because teenagers are tomorrow's future, we shouldn't be targeted.

Outreach Activities

So far, SWAAT has done one outreach activity, "Sweet Addiction." Currently, we are working on researching the tobacco ads effecting our daily lives.

Links & Contact Information

http://www.whitebear.k12.mn.us/hsnc/swaat_home_page.htm

Contact:

Jennifer Kalenowski

School Counselor

White Bear Lake Area High School North Campus

5045 Division Avenue

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

Phone: (651) 653-2926

Fax: (651) 2983

e-mail: jrkale@wbl.whitebear.k12.mn.us