Developed
by CSAP's Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies
© 2002 Education Development Center, Inc. All rights reserved.
Narrator:
As communities around the country are learning, the key to effective
prevention is to use multiple strategies, in multiple settings, toward
achieving one common goal. One important strategy is Policy.
In Gloucester, Massachusetts, the Gloucester Prevention Network worked
with young people to develop a petition drive aimed at banning cigarette
vending machines in public places.
Christine
MacNeil, Peer Leader:
Well, when we were in sixth grade we watched a lot of videos about the
dangers of smoking and learned a lot about how the cigarette companies
try to get kids to start smoking.
Lisa
Bryant, Peer Leader:
And we were worried about our friends and worried that they would start
smoking, and we thought that this would be a good way to keep them from
smoking if they didn’t have the accessibility of the cigarettes.
Christine
MacNeil:
So, we decided we wanted to do something about that in our community,
and we realized that a lot of kids get cigarettes from vending machines
because they are unsupervised.
Carol
R. Coles, Assistant Director, Gloucester Prevention Network:
They talked to their health teacher, and they went down to city hall
and they said, how do we make this happen, we want to make a law. We
want to make the city pass a law that says that you can’t have
these machines any more.
Errika
Ryan, Peer Leader:
Well, I was kind of amazed at how many people actually knew that there
had to be a change and they were interested in signing.
Carol
R. Coles:
And they succeeded with their petitions. And we only came in as kind
of technical assistance and support. We were kind of there for them.
We were supporting them, but we weren’t helping them create their
process.
Narrator:
And when these young women appeared before the Gloucester City Council,
their commitment, sincerity and most importantly, understanding of the
political process resulted in the enactment of a citywide ban on cigarette
vending machines.
Public
Service Announcement
Massachusetts Department of Public Health |
Carol
R. Coles:
The four young women were very amazed at the power that they ultimately
had. And their sense of empowerment has been the most thrilling thing
of all.
Narrator:
These four young women had changed their community in ways that many
would have doubted was possible. The impact of their accomplishment
was underscored when they were acknowledged by the nation’s first
lady.
Errika
Ryan:
Well, I think it is important to get youth involved because youth can
make a difference.
Alicia
Cox, peer leader:
A lot of kids think that they can’t do it because they are only
kids and they can’t make a difference in anything. But they really
can and we have a lot of examples around Massachusetts that kids can
do it.
The
transcript of the video Policy is taken from interviews conducted in
1999. The video series was developed as part of our training and technical
assistance to the Northeast Region.
Executive
Producer: Michael J. Rosati
Produced
by Beacon Communications
Special
thanks to the Gloucester Prevention Network, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The contents
of this program are solely the responsibility of its authors and do
not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Funding
for this program was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Cooperative Agreement No. 5U1JSP08133-03-1
