International Youth Tobacco Control

We initiated this educational series in order to spread awareness to elementary and middle schoolers about the harms of tobacco products before they enter high school, where usage is the most prevalent.


*Supported by the American Heart Association and Stanford Medical School.

In 2019, Disney purchased 140 films from Fox that contained smoking scenes. We wrote to CEO Robert Iger-from California, New Jersey, China, and Saudi Arabia-to place restrictions by warning about the impacts.

*In partnership with the Tobacco Research Center of the University of California, San Franciso.

IYTC ambassadors have collected data on 293 local students in the Philippines and found a 9% smoking rate, roughly two times that of the US. IYTC is developing an educational curriculum with Nemesio I. Yabut Senior High School as we navigate local policy.

IYTC held one of its first video activities with the Asian Youth Center! In this fun activity, IYTC sent AYC an educational video on the harms of tobacco and vital information the kids should know in order to stay safe from tobacco. The students at AYC watched it with their tutor. After the kids watched the video, they filled out an interactive worksheet with the knowledge they learned! We’ll be releasing another video on peer pressure and are excited to share more resources with AYC!

The IYTC #ProtectOurYouth campaign, a partnership with the LA County Public Health Department to raise awareness on the harms of tobacco usage, was a campaign to spread awareness about the harms of tobacco usage and shares young advocates' personal stories. Through the process, we have gained a total reach of 119,696 people on both Instagram and Facebook! Thank you everyone for supporting us throughout this process and keep following our social media for our next campaign!

Because we believe the vaping epidemic is reflective of manipulative marketing, we should focus more on help than punishment.
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IYTC representatives were invited to the LA County Office of Education meeting to discuss alternatives to suspension.

Our "No Tobacco" Weeks, either in China or with exchange students, have spread awareness to over 4,000 students.

On September 10th, we met with the San Marino Unified School District Board of Education. At the meeting, IYTC members spoke out about the current vaping issue facing many youths and proposed joint efforts with the school district to bring about a tobacco-free school environment. As a result, IYTC will soon be creating an informational video for teachers and staff to identify and address vaping on school campuses. Furthermore, the annual health-focused Red Ribbon Week will include avoiding vaping as part of its message.

IYTC hosted its first “Tobacco Free Around the World” series event in Kenya with Den of Hope and Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance. This was the first cross-continent event in which over 50 students from Africa and North America were able to learn and discuss the harms of cigarettes and vapes. The event consisted of a presentation from IYTC and Den of Hope and was followed by a discussion where Kenyan and American students shared their perspectives on tobacco usage in their communities. At the end of the event, all students signed their names to pledge to not use tobacco products.

Fatia Achieng, Kenya, said after the event, “I want to help my friend quit and will start by making sure she is aware of the health consequences of tobacco.” Liliana Kazachka, US, recounted, “I learned tobacco causes a lot of body damage such as cancer and tooth decay and will share what I learned to anybody I know.”