TOBACCO-FREE CNY, JULY 24, 2025 – Reality Check, the Tobacco-Free CNY youth program led by the Onondaga County Health Department, has worked hard throughout the school year to combat current tobacco issues. Many students have worked this year to stand up to Big Tobacco and dedicate their time to making their communities healthier and safer places.
Reality Check is a statewide youth-led program that aims to empower young people to become community leaders and expose the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry. Across the state, small groups meet regularly with adult coordinators to learn about the harms of tobacco and plan out the work they will do in the community. Reality Check focuses on educating New Yorkers about the benefits of tobacco-free outdoor policies, tobacco-free workplace policies, smoke-free multi-unit housing policies, and the negative impacts that tobacco has on the environment.
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, youth from 3 different school districts made great impacts in their communities through their involvement with Reality Check. As the school year comes to an end, we would like to highlight their accomplishments throughout the year!
Central Region Youth Summit – January 2025
Four youth from Baldwinsville Central School District, Liverpool High School, and the Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central attended the Central Region Youth Summit. This event is an opportunity for Reality Check youth from Central New York to meet up, get to know each other, share their experiences, and learn together as a group. This year, we met up at WonderWorks in Destiny USA where the youth participated in team building activities and prepared for speaking to legislators during legislative visits planned for February. This was a great event that gave our youth an opportunity to connect with others that share their passion, as well as prepare for Legislative Education Day.
Legislative Education Day – February 2025
Every year in February, Reality Check youth and coordinators gather in Albany for an event known as Legislative Education Day (LED). This day gives youth the opportunity to meet with legislators and their staff and discuss with them current issues regarding tobacco and how it impacts the areas that they serve. This year, we had six youth make the trip to Albany and attend five legislative visits throughout the day. They did a great job educating legislators and their staff on how tobacco companies market their products to youth and the LGBTQ+ community, make new products to attract youth use, and how smoking in movies can make kids more likely to smoke.
Smoke-Free Movie Event – March 2025
The beginning of March marks award season for Hollywood. With that, it also brings attention to the impact of movies that contain dangerous tobacco imagery on youth tobacco use rates. This year, 9 out of 10 movies nominated for Best Picture contained smoking. When children see smoking in films, they are twice as likely to start smoking themselves, and over 21 million youth have been exposed to tobacco on screen. To combat the harms of this, our Reality Check youth hosted a smoke-free movie event at Regal Cinemas. The public was invited to see a free showing of “IF” preceded by interactive games, tobacco education, and speeches from our Reality Check members. Our youth did a great job speaking to their community and hosting a great event!
Take Down Tobacco Day – April 2025
Take Down Tobacco Day occurs on April 1st every year to highlight the harms of tobacco use and encourage people to stand up against the tobacco industry. Our Reality Check members discussed with their classmates the harms of smoking and how the tobacco industry targets youth through their marketing strategies. They then wrote down why they choose to #TakeDownTobacco and posted them on the wall to share with everyone. Our members shared their messages and communicated with their teachers and classmates the importance of taking down the tobacco industry.
Other Events & Activities – April to June 2025
In addition to planned events and travel around the state, our Reality Check groups continue their hard work in their own communities throughout the year. All three Reality Check groups from Onondaga County participated in chalk-the-walks where they shared important messaging about tobacco, vapes, marketing to youth, and more with their schools. They drew images and facts in chalk outside their schools in the hopes of spreading awareness of tobacco-related issues and to encourage people not to use tobacco products. Our youth have also done tobacco litter cleanups to rid their communities of harmful tobacco litter, tabled at a Syracuse Mets game to educate others on the harms of tobacco on Cancer Survivors Night, and attended the Syracuse Pride Parade. We are proud of all of our Reality Check members that have dedicated their time and energy this school year to make their communities healthier places to live.
Looking forward, our youth are continuing their work through the summer and are excited to host a Tobacco-Free Chalk Art Contest in collaboration with the Syracuse Art Trail and CNY Arts! This is a free event for all attendees, including participating artists. On July 26th from 11 am – 5 pm, please join us at the Everson Museum Plaza for a day filled with art, education, and fun. All registered artists receive a free t-shirt, water bottle, snack, and youth artists will be provided all art materials. Throughout the event there will be live musical performances from local artists, interactive art such as face painting, and a wellness fair with local health programs. If you would like to be a chalk artist, please register here: https://RCchalkartcontest.eventbrite.com.
For more information on Reality Check or Tobacco-Free CNY, visit tobaccofreecny.org.