HCC Youth Programs
CUT the Habit
CUT the Habit, is a student-led film project for area students to explore the effects of tobacco on health as well as how Big Tobacco uses media to recruit "replacement smokers."
CUT the Habit is funded through a grant from the American Legacy Foundation. In the U.S., about 1200 people a day die from tobacco-related disease, including heart disease, cancer, emphysema, and strokes. Big Tobacco advertises its products to entice young people into a lifetime of smoking. The goals of the American Legacy Foundation through this grant are to counter the use of tobacco products by youth and educate consumers about the cause and prevention of diseases associated with the use of tobacco products.
As part of the project, students are learning the basics of film making from MPBN Executive Producer, Chris Sweet, a graduate of Mt. Blue High School. They worked in school-based groups writing and filming their projects through the fall of 2008. Students will work on post-production January and February 2009.
CUT the Habit will culminate in a film festival slated for Spring 2009. Students from each of the five area school districts are invited to participate in the filming and editing process. Each of the finished films will be posted online for area students to vote on. The top three films will be distributed on DVDs through local movie rental stores, as well as shown at theaters in Farmington and Rangeley.
SMOKELESS SCHOOLDAYS
Smokeless SchoolDays is a program for Greater Franklin County youth in grades 6-12 who want to quit tobacco or want to help someone quit tobacco. Smokeless SchoolDays can also provide a positive educational alternative for kids under age 18 who are suspended from school or break the tobacco possession law. Youth will not have to pay a fine through the criminal justice system if they attend the program. For more information please contact Bridgette Gilbert at 778-3561.
Voices of our Youth
9th Annual Youth Summit
Monday, October 27th, 2008
Franklin Memorial Hospital
Healthy Community Coalition hosted 70, 7th and 8th grade students from Jay and Mt. Blue Middle School and Rangeley Lakes Regional School to participate in the 9th Annual Youth Summit, held in the Ben Franklin Center at Franklin Memorial Hospital. This year\'s Youth Summit introduced 7th and 8th grade students to the exciting legislative process of our state government. The theme "Voices of our Youth" taught students that their voice matters, they learned how to advocate for a cause and how they can make a difference! Students found out about two bills being presented during the next legislative session; PE4ME, (physical activity in the classroom) and menu labeling (including nutrition information on all menus). Breakout sessions included basic education on the difference between a bill and a law, how to advocate for a cause and how to write and present testimony. At the conclusion, students participated in a mock legislative session in front of our local legislators, administrators, Health Policy Partners (official state-wide health advocates), and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
For more youth resources, go to www.thecommunityconnector.org.
