Latest news with #AdaBurgess
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
North Country kids protest Big Tobacco in Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ABC22/FOX44) – One group of North Country students took a trip to the nation's capital to take a stand against Big Tobacco. In a two-day event in Washington, students from around the country met to discuss their common cause, and protested outside the lobbyist office for Altria, one of the nation's biggest tobacco companies. Canadian border crossings plunge in 2025, tourism industry concerned 'We did a rally on the day of Altria's shareholder meeting,' said McKenna McGrath, a sophomore at Beekmantown Central School. 'They're targeting children… they're using a highly addictive chemical like nicotine to addict kids at a young age.' Tobacco-Free Clinton Franklin Essex and Reality Check (Tobacco-Free CFE) is a program under the Champlain Valley Family Center that aims to 'reinforce the tobacco-free norm in communities throughout New York State'. Its specific goals include ending tobacco sales at pharmacies and achieving smoking bans in parks and apartment buildings. Legislators push rent reforms amid housing crisis Ada Burgess, a freshman at Plattsburgh High School, said, 'I think one of the key things is about looking in your community and seeing the specific issues your community faces. One of the issues, in my school specifically, a lot of kids vape. We want to try to help kids and not just tell them, 'Oh, smoking is bad.'' This is the tenth year Tobacco-Free CFE has helped send students to Washington for this event. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Clinton, Franklin, Essex Reality Check youth take action against tobacco at national conference
PLATTSBURGH — Clinton Franklin Essex Reality Check youth traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to stand up to Big Tobacco as part of the 2025 Mobilize Against Tobacco Lies conference. Reality Check is a youth-led program that empowers teens to fight back against tobacco marketing and work toward a healthier, tobacco-free future for their generation. The event took place from May 14 to May 15 and brought together young advocates from across the country to call out tobacco industry deception and demand change. The two-day event began with intensive training led by national public health organizations such as the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Counter Tools. These sessions covered rally planning, media engagement and current nicotine trends equipping students with the tools to make their voices heard. The conference culminated in a powerful demonstration outside the Washington, D.C. lobbyist office of Altria Group, which was holding its annual virtual shareholder meeting. Just steps from the U.S. Capitol, youth delivered a bold message: 'Don't Get Caught in Altria's Web of Lies.' 'Being there in person and seeing the effect we had on shareholders and the general public was really impactful,' Ada Burgess, a local Reality Check participant, said. 'Even negative reactions showed they noticed us and were affected by what we were saying. It's powerful to realize we can actually make a difference.' Reality Check participants and national youth leaders also made their voices heard inside the virtual shareholder meeting by using Altria stock to submit tough questions to company executives during the Q&A session. These powerful contributions challenged the company's narrative and brought youth concerns directly to the forefront. McKenna McGrath, another Reality Check advocate, said 'it was a really powerful and valuable experience.' After the demonstration, the group gathered with peers and mentors to reflect on the day's actions, share insights, and plan how to bring the momentum back to their local communities. Alice Elizabeth Ladue, Reality Check Coordinator for Clinton Franklin Essex, praised the students. 'These young people are fierce, informed, and fearless,' Ladue said. 'They're taking on one of the most powerful industries in the world and they're already making a real impact.'
