Tennessee Teens Work to Create Youth Tobacco Prevention Movement at FACT Summit

 NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Health will host the inaugural FACT Summit, a statewide tobacco prevention conference for youth, July 17-19 at the Sevierville Convention Center. More than 400 teens from across Tennessee are        registered to attend.

 FACT stands for “Free and Clear Tennessee,” envisioning a state free of tobacco and nicotine addiction where everyone enjoys clear air. The FACT Summit is designed to facilitate creation of a youth-led movement of peer-to-peer education and advocacy for prevention of the physical, emotional and financial toll tobacco product addiction. Participants will receive training and learn strategies from both nationally-recognized experts and their Tennessee peers for implementing effective tobacco prevention activities in their own communities. They will also elect their first Teen Ambassadors during the summit to serve as leaders in these activities for the next year.

The FACT Summit and Teen Ambassador Program are modeled on successful peer-to-peer tobacco and nicotine addiction prevention efforts in other states including Texas and Mississippi. The FACT Summit is provided at no cost to participants with funding from the Tennessee Tobacco Settlement.

WHAT:                  FACT Summit Youth Tobacco Prevention Conference

WHEN:                 Sunday, July 17, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern time

                               Monday, July 18, 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. Eastern time

                               Tuesday, July 19, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Eastern time

WHERE:               Sevierville Convention Center

                                202 Gists Creek Road

                                Sevierville, Tennessee 37876

MEDIA CONTACT:  Shelley Walker, 615-804-9972 or Shelley.Walker@tn.gov.