For a life without tobacco, youth

EC “Help” Student Network Meeting II
15-16 October 2010 – Brussels, Belgium
16 OCTOBER 2010
COMMITMENT PAPER
PREAMBLE
On 7 May 2010, young people from 59 European youth and student organisations from 24countries met at the first EC ‘Help’ Student Network Meeting in Riga, Latvia, to raise awareness of tobacco related illness and to promote a healthy lifestyle, by writing a Youth Declaration on Tobacco Control.
Having formulated recommendations to EU institutions, national authorities, and youth organisations and NGOs in the first meeting, the mission of the 69 participants of the second EC ‘Help’ Student Network Meeting in Brussels representing 54 European youth and student organisations, on 15-16 October 2010, is to draft a Commitment Paper which sets out key
tobacco control priorities which we, the youth, agree to act upon.
We, the participants of the EC ‘Help’ Student Network Meeting II, commit ourselves to:
Actions by youth organisations
1.1. Encourage and organise formal and non-formal education on cessation, prevention and a
healthy lifestyle with, where possible, the help of professionals, ex-smokers and athletes, among others.
1.2. Organise a common event in Europe on the same day, expressing our message regarding tobacco control. We recommend choosing the 31 May, World No Tobacco Day.
1.3. Act locally using all available resources and contribute to national and international initiatives.
1.4. Evaluate projects and activities in a formal and informal manner, in order to understand their effectiveness with the intention of storing, disseminating and sharing the results.
EC “Help” Student Network Meeting II
15-16 October 2010 – Brussels, Belgium
Health Advocacy – Involving media and stakeholders
2.1. Disseminate evidence-based and referenced information via all types of media in order to highlight the benefits of a smoke-free lifestyle.
2.2. Promote the compilation of an advocacy information package and design of a training program to support tobacco control activists in their advocacy work.
2.3. Organise regular, interdisciplinary local, national and international meetings in order to coordinate advocacy in tobacco control.
2.4. Make a dynamic and categorised list of important target groups and point out the benefits of the Youth Declaration on Tobacco Control in a personalised and concrete way.
2.5. Spread the message of the tobacco control initiative creatively, using, among other things, street art, public figures, music festivals, cultural events, theme parties and exhibitions.
Involvement in Policy Making
3.1. Encourage decision makers to implement the recommendations of the Youth Declaration on Tobacco Control adopted in Riga.
3.2. Get involved in policy making processes at regional, national and European level, for example, by contributing to public consultations, sending letters to national and European parliamentarians, suggesting amendments regarding proposed legislation and sending advocacy documents to responsible authorities addressing tobacco control
issues.
3.3. Involve and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders in medical and non-medical fields.
3.4. Present our tobacco control work to the related political authorities in order to get support and convince them to adopt our ideas as a core for developing constructive policies on tobacco control.
3.5. Approach politicians and representatives of health issues at local, national and European level to present tobacco control policy and foster its adoption.
EC “Help” Student Network Meeting II
15-16 October 2010 – Brussels, Belgium
Sustainability of youth empowerment in tobacco control
4.1. Create a European Youth Network on Tobacco Control to continue sustaining tobacco control. This network should have ambassadors at local, national and European level.
They will focus on representing our interests to all associated groups, such as the public,media, businesses and politicians.
4.2. Develop, establish and promote a collection and handover of current and previous projects containing all possible forms of information that was gathered in the past and facilitate easy access to it.
4.3. Embrace a high standard when utilising modern media.
4.4. Find reliable partners to support projects, both financially and operationally.
This Commitment Paper was adopted by the conference participants. The views expressed in this document have not been adopted nor
approved by the European Commission and should not be relied upon as a statement of its views. The European Commission does not accept
responsibility for any use made of this document.