Students Make Their Voices Heard at Anti-Tobacco Podcast Event

Middle and high school students from across Kern County are picking up a microphone instead of a cigarette or vape. Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) clubs from 10 different schools gathered at the historic Bell Tower Plaza on Tuesday afternoon to brainstorm ideas and record a podcast during the third annual Youth Against Commercial Tobacco Summit.

The event brings together several organizations, including Kern County Superintendent of Schools, SWAT, Blue Zones Project Bakersfield, and Kern County Public Health, to educate local students on tobacco use and advocate for tobacco prevention and policy change. Ridgeview High School senior and SWAT Executive Member, Brianna Naranjo, says a podcast is a great way to get students engaged and meet them where they’re at.

“I thought it was a great idea, especially because now teens are on social media a lot, so I thought the podcast was a perfect target audience,” she said. “This event focuses on how to use your voice to speak up for what you believe in, so they’re able to use their voice one day to make a change.”

According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than 10 percent of high school students and nearly six percent of middle school students use tobacco regularly, with e-cigarettes or vapes the most commonly used products.

“Smoking and tobacco may seem like a very small problem, but it’s a very big problem for a lot of students,” said El Tejon eighth grader Reign Dalit.

The summit aims to teach students advocacy and podcasting skills as they learn to compose and record their own podcasts. To begin, the event introduced students to commercial tobacco marketing and how it can sometimes be designed to appeal to kids and teens. Later, students put their art skills to the test with a poster contest, with the winning group receiving prizes.

Genessa Fisher and Brian Johnson, with the Youth Voice Amplified podcast, partnered with event organizers to help moderate and facilitate the podcast. The team brought in individuals and small groups from each school to talk about their experiences with tobacco, where they see tobacco messaging and marketing, and ways to appeal to their friends and fellow students about remaining drug-free.

“They are the upcoming generation, so it’s important that they know the effects and the risks,” Naranjo added. “Allowing them to educate themselves at a young age lowers the risk of them taking part in substance use when they’re older.”

Students from the summit will be featured in a future episode of Youth Voice Amplified in May.