Lyon County, Nevada – Four Stand Tall members from Lyon County were chosen by the Truth Initiative for an all expenses paid trip to join students from across the U.S. in a tobacco use prevention training program in Washington D.C. this summer! The students will come back to their communities and schools with a media campaign that will be fully funded for one year by the Truth Initiative. The Stand Tall members, Julieana Evans, Annmarie Fimby, Shalynn Hull, and Linnea Sutton, were selected from an extremely competitive pool of applicants to attend the National Summit on Youth Activism Wednesday, July 19^th through Saturday, July 22nd .

While there, they’ll work hard to develop local project plans for their own towns. Each participant commits to engaging and training other youth in his or her community within the next 12 months, with support from Truth Initiative community and youth engagement team members. Youth will also learn about tobacco use patterns, tobacco control strategies, tobacco as a social justice issue, activism and advocacy principles, the value of partnerships and collaboration, tobacco and smoking in video games, and more. They will also spend time in hands-on workshops, their on-camera, social media and storytelling skills.

What is the Truth Initiative? Truth Initiative is dedicated to achieving a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco. They promote the truth about the health risks of using tobacco through education, tobacco control research and policy studies, and community activism and engagement. They’ve been part of the national effort that brought teen cigarette use down from 23% in 2000 to 7 % in 2015. They’re proud of that success, but they say their work won’t stop until there is a culture where all youth and young adults reject tobacco use.

What is Stand Tall? The nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties sponsors Stand Tall teams in four high schools and one middle school in the Lyon County School District. The young leaders in Stand Tall promote health and wellness within their schools and communities. To be as effective as possible, Stand Tall members engage in extensive training, including an annual 3-day training camp at Lake Tahoe. For over a decade, Stand Tall teams from across the western Nevada region have attended the Healthy Communities’ sponsored summer camp, the central training event for Stand Tall. While there, youth learn evidence-based strategies for preventing use of tobacco, alcohol, prescription and other drugs in their communities, as well as strategies for promoting good nutrition, mental health, and fitness in their schools and towns. The teams also practice leadership, teamwork, and public speaking skills, learn how the Nevada Legislature works, and how to advocate for health and wellness in their communities. This year, the Leadership Outloud camp takes place August 2^nd through August 4^th.

For more information about Stand Tall, contact regional coordinator Tammy Sutton at Healthy Communities at 246-7550.