TOPEKA – Take Down Tobacco Day Thursday in Topeka is a national day of activism when teachers, youth leaders, public health advocates, and other community leaders organize events designed to get youth to stand out, speak up and seize control against big tobacco, said Katelyn Sigler Youth Crew Adult sponsor of Great Bend. The Kansas Capitol event is hosted annually in partnership with the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition and the Resist Program.

“We are excited for the youth crew to have this amazing opportunity and also have the ability to meet other kids from all over the state of Kansas that have the same views that they do on tobacco and its dangers,” Sigler said.

Local students attending include: Tally Wikum, a junior at Hoisington High School; Jasmine Figuero, a freshman at Great Bend High School; Ransom Hardcastle, a seventh grader at Great Bend Middle School; and Keegan Roblyer, a seventh grader at Great Bend Middle School.

“All of these students are a part of our local Central Kansas Partnership Coalition,” she said. “This a completely youth-led group that decides what they feel needs improvement in their community and one of the things they felt strongly about is their friends or classmates that smoke e-cigarettes and vape; they want to raise awareness of the dangers it can have on their physical and mental health,” she said.

Take Down Tobacco Day at the Kansas Capitol is hosted by the Resist Program, The Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, American Lung Association, American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. The purpose of this event is to educate students about the importance of youth advocacy in tobacco prevention and how to talk to decision makers, Sigler said. “Our local youth crew gets a chance to meet and discuss tobacco prevention with their respective Senator or representatives.”

To learn more about the statewide movement, visit www.resisttobacco.org.