TFG fourth annual Youth Summit was held at CHIJ Toa Payoh Secondary this year. This year saw 11 schools, 117 students and 9 teachers participating. The teachers and students were engaged in presentations and workshops by TFG members as well as by student faculty members. TFG thanks all participants and partners that have made this possible including Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine NUS as well as Community Cancer Fund.
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With 2015 marking the 10th anniversary of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Ash Scotland (Action on Smoking and Health, Scotland) hosted the “Towards a generation free from tobacco: turning the vision into reality” conference on 18 and 19 June 2015 at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Health advocates from the UK, Europe and further, met and mapped out the journey to a society free from the harm caused by tobacco.
With inspiration from Europe, North America and South East Asia, this conference celebrated the success of public health in mobilising public support to adopt healthy smoke-free lifestyles and drew on the knowledge and experience of tobacco control advocates to plot a confident course to a generation free from tobacco.
A TFG workshop and a parallel session presentation by Prof Jon Berrick Assoc Prof Dr Koong Heng Nung and Dr Ho Gay Hui were well received by several of the Scottish tobacco control leaders and others from the neighbouring European countries. It was cited again at the first plenary session and at the closing discourse.
TFG continues to grow good young TFG faculties at this meeting. We have successfully nurtured more Scottish youths to be part of the TFG team and to be advocates in their country.
Post-conference communications materials can be found HERE.
TFG had the opportunity to meet with student leaders from the region at the recent Asia Pacific Student Leaders Forum 2015 Networking Lunch held at NUS on 9th June 2015.
Yii Zheng Wei, 4th year medical student, NUS, gave a short presentation on stage. Together with Andrea Lok and Chloe Lim, both 3rd year medical students, NUS, they actively shared the objectives of Tobacco Free Generation with the student delegates.
This networking lunch/exhibition was a platform comprising of Social Enterprises, NGOs, Companies and Youth Organizations. The student delegates learnt about the participating organizations and their pioneering work in the field of social change, as well as how communities and society have benefited from their organization’s work and engagement
Seng Kang Primary School is one of the schools under the Millennia Kids Program by SengKang Health, Singapore. We handed out Task Cards to the students, encouraging them to explain the concept of replacement smokers, describe the harms of smoking and the objectives of Tobacco Free Generation to their parents. Completed explanations will garner prizes from the program. TFG program was shared with seven hundred kids born in 2003, 2004 and 2005, all of them are our Millennium babies. As they will one day, lead our society, we want them to be hearty and healthy from now. Thank you, Seng Kang Primary for hosting TFG.
TFG drops by Woodlands Secondary School! Thank you for hosting us and congratulations to the team who claimed the 1st runner up position at the Youth Summit video competition last year!
Find out more about the TFG movement at Woodlands Secondary School by clicking the following link
https://facebook.com/wdltfg2000
TFG revisits Raffles Girls Primary School in 2015. Thank you RGPS for having us 4 years in a row. We salute your perseverance to spread the tobacco free generation message.
TFG visits St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary School to present Judges Choice Prizes for the 2014 Youth Summit video competition. Well done girls.
The 16th World Conference on Tobacco or Health drew to a close with the closing ceremony and conference declarations earlier this evening.
“The conference recognizes and commends jurisdictions including the Australian state of Tasmania that are advancing initiatives to create Tobacco Free Generations for all persons born since the year 2000; as part of its declarations.
And, recommends that by 2018, to have at least 40 countries develop and introduce action plans and prioritise policies and interventions to protect children and youth to achieve the goal of No More Tobacco in the 21st century.”
The cogwheels of the global tobacco-free notion machinery are turning fast; Are YOU ready to rise up to the challenge to protect our next generation, the children and youth of the 21st century?
The Tobacco-Free Generation Movement stands ready.
http://www.wctoh.org/updates/conference-resolutions
TFG conducted a workshop as well as hosted a symposium discussion at the 16th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) Abu Dhabi. TFG was also invited to an impromptu presentation, addressing youths from 40 odd countries that attended the WCTOH. Many youths and adult attendees alike expressed interest in starting tobacco free generation movement in their respective countries.
2014 Youth Summit video competition prizes
TFG starts 2015 with a visit to Woodlands Ring Primary School to present the Tobacco Free Generation notion to Primary 6 pupils of the school. Thank you Woodlands Ring for hosting us.
TFG is honored to share the Tobacco Free Generation notion with Primary 6 pupils of Marsiling Primary School.Besides the usual comments and questions about nicotine addiction and smoking risks, a student grasped and reiterated to her cohort mates about the concept of replacement smokers and how their generation would be the target of cigarette companies who are seeking new consumers. Well done Marsiling Primary.
TFG engaged 300 P6 students from Qihua Primary School with videos, story telling and a lively Q&A session. We were pleasantly surprised at the questions asked by the kids, for example “Dear Doctor, If tobacco is so harmful, why is it not completely banned ?” …shows good understanding even at their level about the nature of nicotine addiction and society. Thank you Qihua for hosting TFG.
TFG continues 2014 school program @ Jurongville Secondary School. About 280 students from Sec 2 cohort participated in the 40 min session, asking questions & sharing their own experiences about family members who are addicted to nicotine. TFG handed out thumbdrives, badges and scribble pads. Thank you Jurongville for hosting us.
TFG would like to express our sincere appreciation to Lexus Singapore for your generous support in the 2014 Ride for TFG2000 event on 6 September 2014. The stable of RX450h, ES300h and CT200h was amazing in motion with TFG cyclists. Lexus complemented our call for a more sustainable and healthier society.
Ride for Tobacco Free Generation 2000 Edition 2014 took place on 6 Sept 2014. This year’s ride was held in conjunction with Sengkang Health’s Millennia Kids Carnival @ Sengkang Sports and Recreation Center. Partners for the event included Sengkang Health, Health Promotion Board and Sports SG. A total of 64 riders took part in the round island ride. Another 70 community riders, comprising of parent and child joined the round island riders for the last 5km ride, including MP for Punggol, Dr Janil Puthucheary. The closing ceremony for the ride saw 55 scouts from Henry Park Pelican Scout troop pledging to be tobacco free.
Two local newspapers, The Straits Times and My Paper covered our 2014 Youth Summit.
14 schools,
14 teachers,
50 facilitators,
and 159 students!
A big thank you to everyone who came for the TFG2000 Youth Summit today! It was the largest summit ever held so far, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support from each and every individual. We hope that the millennium youths are empowered by the idea of a Tobacco-Free Generation, and will become proud ambassadors of TFG2000.
Every research publication attracts scrutiny. TFG’s publication in Tobacco Control Journal in 2010 entitled “Phasing-out tobacco: proposal to deny access to tobacco for those born from 2000” is no exception. Singapore’s print media The New Paper as well as Singapore Press Holding’s AsiaOne portal published an article highlighting some of the issues surrounding the proposal. As our school program pick up momentum, this publication is not only timely publicity for TFG but more importantly, it paves the way for society to start exploring “end game” ideas seriously. Regardless of the outcome, our mission of going to the schools and educating the young about risks of tobacco addiction remains a key priority for the team.
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/…/simple-and-innovative-way-m…
TFG team was invited to present to Westspring Secondary School in early April. The assembly session reached out to more than 600 odd students & staff from the school.