Milton, FL.–  The need for youth to speak up and make their voices heard about the issues they care about is as important as ever, which is why one student-led organization in Florida is leading the way in the fight against the tobacco industry and the addictive products that target youth.

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) is a statewide youth organization focused on educating, empowering, and mobilizing Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. As a member of the Santa Rosa County SWAT Chapter, Ciara Michulka, Vice President of Pace High’s SWAT Club, believes SWAT is an important cause more youth should get involved in. She stated, “For Santa Rosa County specifically, vaping is undoubtably a massive issue – all schools, regardless of how good they are, have a problem with vaping.” Despite significant progress over the years, tobacco and e-cigarette use is still prevalent, and the tobacco industry’s antics must be stopped. SWAT is working to change the social norms associated with tobacco, including e-cigarettes.

SWAT has been educating and empowering youth and communities since 1998. SWAT has had several successful initiatives throughout the years. ‘Not a Replacement’ was a statewide campaign where thousands of youth reminded tobacco companies that they are unique individuals with the potential to make a positive impact on their community. ‘Not a Lab Rat’ is the current statewide campaign that focuses on the truth behind e-cigarettes and how youth can stop the spread of misinformation. Through such initiatives, SWAT continues to work toward changing the way people think about tobacco, making it less desirable, less acceptable and less accessible.

“My reason for joining SWAT was clear. While I don’t like the term sob story, my motivations came from seeing the adverse and saddening effects of tobacco on plenty of my immediate family members. Once you see just how distressing vaping or smoking can be to a person, you’ll naturally want to stop anyone from doing it. So, when a SWAT club became reinstated at my own high school my freshman year, it was a no-brainer that I’d join. Joining SWAT helped me by giving me a tight-knit community I can always depend on, among many other note-worthy takeaways.” said Ciara.

In our community, the Santa Rosa County SWAT chapter helped make a difference by recruiting youth to join SWAT during Back-to-School club fairs, attending local events to promote the dangers of youth e-cigarette use, organizing community cleanups, and speaking to our local government representatives to voice support for anti-tobacco and anti-e-cigarette legislation.

There is still work to be done to protect our generation and future generations from the tobacco industry. By working with peers, students can create change that will keep tobacco products out of Santa Rosa County and improve the health of our family, friends, and community. SWAT is open to all Florida youth in 6th-12th grade. There is a SWAT chapter in every county in Florida, and some counties also have clubs in schools and community organizations. In Santa Rosa County, we have clubs at Hobbs Middle, King Middle, Woodlawn Beach Middle, and Pace High Schools.

If you are interested in learning more about SWAT and how youth can get involved, contact Kristie Beckstrom, SWAT Coordinator, at Kristie.Beckstrom@flhealth.govor visit www.SWATFlorida.com. I hope that in writing this, more youth are inspired to stand up and speak out against the tobacco industry by joining SWAT.

About the Florida Department of Health

The Florida Department of Health, nationally accredited as part of an Integrated Local Public Health Department System by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.