Annual Summit Teaches Kern Students to Advocate for Tobacco Policy Change

Video cameras and microphones were ready and recording, waiting for the start of the press conference. Under the bright lights, South Fork Middle School eighth graders Karli Johle and Numee Chapman stepped up to the podium to share details of their new campaign. It centered on bringing assemblies to Kern County middle and high schools to discuss the dangers of smoking and vaping.

“We want to reach kids before they start smoking or vaping,” said Johle. “It will show kids it’s way easier to not get into it and not start because once you start, it can be a big thing that’s hard to stop. If they don’t start (vaping or smoking), it will be better for them and everyone around them.”

For Chapman, the campaign is personal, after her 15-year-old sister suffered health complications from vaping.

“She went to the doctor because she had difficulty breathing and a bad cough. The doctor told her if she didn’t quit, then she would end up with popcorn lungs at the age of 15,” she said.

This mock press conference wrapped up the second annual Youth Against Commercial Tobacco Summit on April 4. Hosted by Blue Zones Project Bakersfield, Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Kern County Public Health and Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), this day-long event brought together middle and high school students from across Kern County to learn about the dangers of commercial tobacco.

Hosted by Blue Zones Project Bakersfield, Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Kern County Public Health and Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT), this day-long event brought together middle and high school students from across Kern County to learn about the dangers of commercial tobacco.

Throughout the day, students took part in hands-on workshops, heard from guest speakers and worked in teams to create their own awareness campaigns. Two schools were selected to present their campaigns during a mock press conference. Noah Marr, an eighth grader from El Tejon Middle School, shared his team’s plan to put posters on doors and in hallways to warn students about the dangers of vaping.

“We hope that it will lower the use of tobacco products by raising awareness of its side effects,” he said.

“Although it is important to keep our youth educated, it’s also vital to know what to do with that education,” said SWAT chair Julissa Rocha. “Through this education, we hope to better prepare them for advocacy.”

Students also heard from Bakersfield City Councilman Eric Arias, who shared his personal journey with challenges and how he overcame them to achieve success. He started by asking the students what trait would make them successful in life. Words like ambition, confidence, determination, support and dedication were thrown out, but they weren’t exactly what Arias was looking for. 

“Science tells us we need all of those things – confidence, determination, having a plan, all those things – but the common denominator is grit,” Arias said, who is also the president and CEO of United Way of Central Eastern California. “The main reason for that is life gives you challenges that you won’t anticipate and having grit will determine how you handle them.”

SWAT, a student-led coalition that helped organize the summit, hopes attendees walked away feeling empowered, informed and inspired.

“If youth don’t know about the tobacco industry or vaping or their effects, they might think it’s just a causal thing. We hope through other events and this summit to change that perception,” said Rocha, who also is a senior at Golden Valley High School.

“I think everyone should have the chance to come here and have this experience,” said Johle. “It was very useful and I’m going to use all of this information.”