News and Events
SWAT Recruitment Events Kick off 2023-2024 School Year!
September 13, 2023
Students Working Against Tobacco, or SWAT, is our youth-led advocacy group that focuses on educating peers on the dangers of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. This year, we have two school-based SWAT clubs, which are open to youth in grades 6-12, Indian River Charter High School and our new club at Gifford Middle School.
The work of SWAT is more crucial than ever as youth vaping rates in Indian River County remain high. SWAT will address high usage rates with education and outreach through their schools and in their community.
Several recruitment events are being held to kick off the school year. Gifford Middle School had three days of club rush that was held September 6th, 7th, and 8th during lunch time. The SWAT Advisor and the Tobacco Prevention Specialist had a table at the club rush where students were able to visit to receive information on joining. The event was a huge success with seventeen 6th grade students, twelve 7th grade students, and ten 8th grade students signing up to join SWAT. Another opportunity for SWAT recruitment at Gifford Middle will be at their open house on September 13th. This will be an opportunity for parents as well as students to learn about the benefits of joining SWAT.
A big shout-out goes to our SWAT Advisor at Gifford Middle, Lateshia Henry. Lateshia is no stranger to SWAT; she was the SWAT Advisor previously at Gifford Middle School and we are very grateful to have her back! Indian River Charter High School hosted their club expo on September 11th and 19 students signed up to join the SWAT club there. Indian River Charter High School will be holding their first SWAT meeting on September 26th, 2023.
For more information on the SWAT Chapter in Indian River County, please contact Michelle Calandro at MCalandro@QuitDoc.com.
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The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County sets goals for the 2023-2024
August 9, 2023
The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County is dedicated to the creation of tobacco-free social norms through a combination of community education, youth advocacy and changes in local tobacco policies. Our work would not be possible without our community leaders and youth advocates who greatly impact this community through our Tobacco Free Partnership and Students Working Against Tobacco program.
On August 9, 2023, the Partnership met and identified multiple policy areas which will be priority this fiscal year. The Partnership will continue its work alongside Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) to address the policy and education priorities of the organization.
In the area of Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing, the Tobacco Free Partnership will be continuing their work from previous years in establishing tobacco-free policies in apartment complexes and condominiums to ensure that every resident has the right to clean air. Read More
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Co-Chairs of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County, Shine at CADCA Midyear
July 17, 2023
Kyleigh Savoie, Communities That Care Coordinator for the Substance Awareness Center and Lt. David Bailey, Indian River County Sheriff's Office Community Affairs Division, made a significant impact at the Communities Anti-Drug Coalition of America (CADCA) Midyear Conference in Grapevine, Texas. Their presentation, titled "What's The Point? Overcoming Barriers in the Fight Against Vaping," provided valuable insights into the strategies used by Indian River County to address vaping among youth. This informative session drew an impressive audience of 250 attendees from across the United States.
The presentation covered various aspects of Indian River County's approach to tackling vaping, including the Chat & Chew events conducted at all local high schools, universal prevention education in all 5th-grade classrooms featuring the Prevention Plus Wellness curriculum, and collaborative efforts with local governments to raise awareness and provide education on vaping within the community.
A standout feature of the presentation was the Sheriff's Office and SAFIR Coalition's Hidden In Plain Sight Trailer—a parent education tool designed to create a hands-on, visual representation of a teenager's bedroom. This tool fosters discussions about various drug-related products, promotes positive interactions between parents and law enforcement, and encourages open conversations between parents and their children about drugs and alcohol. Read More
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It’s The Close Of Another Great Year Of Supporting The Mission of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County!
June 15, 2023
The TFP of Indian River County consists of a variety of members across multiple sectors such as local non-profits, Substance Awareness Center of Indian River County, Indian River County Healthy Start, Drug Abuse Treatment Association (DATA), Indian River County and The City of Vero Beach staff, local law enforcement, and various private businesses. We know grassroots efforts of our community help implement policy interventions, and to that end we are continually seeking to expand our partnership. We are always sharing our efforts, to recruit new members and raise awareness of our work.
A Key element of prevention strategies is to build partnerships and strengthen coalitions. Comprehensive statewide tobacco control programs must coordinate community-level interventions that counter tobacco industry marketing and mobilize communities to ultimately lead to social norm and behavior changes. Our partnership and its members are a key part in making this change and educating the public about the broader context of tobacco related diseases, which can further mobilize public support for tobacco-free policies.
Throughout this fiscal year, the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County has come together to accomplish great things. Awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use was brought at the Family Fun Fest in Vero Beach in February. Then, we continued the educational fun in March at the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches 29th Annual BBQ. Events like these, bring the community together and are crucial for meeting the goals of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County. We will continue to build relationships and engage in the community about tobacco in future events in the coming year. Read More
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Indian River County Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Chapter Wraps up Another Productive Year!
June 1, 2023
SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) is Florida's statewide youth organization working to mobilize, educate and equip Florida youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. SWAT is a united movement of empowered youth working towards a tobacco-free future. SWAT works to change the social norms associated with tobacco. This means we want to change the way people think about tobacco… making it less desirable, less acceptable, and less accessible.
A few local projects our SWAT Youth were able to conduct this past year included educating peers about various national tobacco control holidays, including Not A Lab Rat Day, Through With Chew Week, Take Down Tobacco Day, and World No Tobacco Day. They also celebrated Black History Month by hosting a screening of Black Lives/Black Lungs documentary which explains the marketing and the targeting of the African American population by the tobacco industry.
Tobacco Free Partnership Members from SAFIR and Students Working Against Tobacco Youth gathered in May, to recognize their efforts to educate and prevent tobacco use within our community. They enjoyed a pizza party to round out a year of excellence. In addition to celebrating a year of hard work, a few acknowledgements were given for outstanding contribution towards a tobacco free future in Indian River County.
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Engaging the Community: Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County Participates in Local Events
March 10, 2023
It has been a great start to the year for the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County. The Partnership has been participating in several local events to engage and educate the community about the dangers of using tobacco. On February 4th, the SAFIR Coalition partnered with the Indian River County School District to host a fun day for the family called the Family Fun Fest in Vero Beach, Florida. The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County saw this as an excellent opportunity to engage the community in a fun environment and represent the Partnership by spreading awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use.
Along with plenty of exciting tables and booths set up by other organizations and businesses, the Partnership had a table that featured plenty of helpful information about all things tobacco, such as materials that highlight the risks associated with tobacco use and resources to help smokers quit. To go along with the helpful resources, the Partnership gave out gift bags containing some fun gifts for anyone who visited the table.
The turnout for this event was truly amazing and featured so many great speakers that spoke about the different topics that the SAFIR Coalition Workgroups cover. These workgroups talked to the community about the importance of prevention and provided some interesting statistics. The speakers represented underage drinking, prescription misuse, marijuana, and the vaping/tobacco workgroups. The vaping/tobacco workgroup featured Kyleigh Savoie, who spoke about the dangers of vaping/tobacco use and provided plenty of relevant statistics to educate parents and other community members.
The Tobacco Free Partnership is grateful for the opportunity to attend such a great event by the SAFIR Coalition and the Indian River County School District. Read More
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Indian River County SWAT Clubs Celebrate Black History Month
February 28, 2023
The Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) club at Indian River Charter High School (IRCHS) celebrated Black History Month throughout February by hosting a movie night for a Friday Night Done Right. The SWAT members wanted to celebrate Black History Month by educating their fellow students about the dark history of the tobacco industry. The club decided to host a screening for the Black Lives / Black Lungs documentary, which explains the marketing and the targeting of the African American population by the tobacco industry. This film was shown to other SWAT clubs throughout Indian River County, which led to some great discussions to support the theme of Black History Month.
The tobacco industry has exploited the African American population by getting them hooked on tobacco. In 2017, nearly 90 percent of the African American population used menthol cigarettes, which is no coincidence (Truth Initiative [TI], 2017). Menthol cigarettes make it more difficult for individuals to quit smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], n.d.). Nicotine is the addictive element in cigarettes but can be enhanced when combined with menthol by affecting the brain, making tobacco products increasingly addictive (CDC, n.d.). Black Lives / Black Lungs highlights this issue and discusses how the tobacco industry targeted specific events and advertised tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes to attract new smokers.
SWAT members at IRCHS took the initiative through collaboration by hosting this event with the IRCHS Multicultural Club to help spread the word of this event throughout the school and bring refreshments to go along with the event. In addition to showing the documentary, the SWAT members hosted a panel that could answer any additional questions the students had at the documentary's conclusion by providing necessary information to educate them about the dangers of tobacco. Read More
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Students Working Against Tobacco in Indian River County Continue Work on Vaping
December 12, 2022
SWAT, or Students Working Against Tobacco, is a youth coalition whose mission is to mobilize, educate and equip Florida’s youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. The SWAT Chapter in Indian River County has partnered with local organization, Substance Abuse Free Indian River (SAFIR) to empower local youth to educate peers and the community.
This quarter, SWAT students continued their advocacy efforts to improve their schools and community. For their advocacy projects, SWAT clubs identified addressing youth vaping and promoting cessation as their primary focus. Over the quarter, youth have been meeting with local collaborators to discuss vaping, interviewing peers about vaping, and learning foundational advocacy skills.
The Students Working Against Tobacco Chapter hosted the National Guard for several SWAT meetings this quarter. The National Guard provided education to students on the dangers of tobacco use and vaping. The SWAT students were able to ask the presenters questions and have a better understanding of tobacco and its effects on the body. This education provided an additional foundation to their advocacy work... Read More
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Indian River County Recognizes Third Annual ‘"Vaping Awareness Month"
October 19, 2022
In 2019, the Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County and Students Working Against Tobacco announced that October would be recognized as ‘Vaping Awareness Month.’ The decision to name October Vaping Awareness Month was made to increase community awareness about the youth vaping epidemic and focus efforts to educate the community throughout the month of October. This year, SWAT, the Tobacco Free Partnership, and Community Members recognized the third annual vaping awareness month.
Since its inception, Vaping Awareness Month revolves around proclamations and town halls to educate the community on the dangers of vaping. This year, the Substance Awareness Center, the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners, the City Council of Vero Beach, and the School District assisted the Partnership and SWAT in education efforts
| The School District has implemented a comprehensive tobacco free policy and have greatly increased education about the dangers of vaping to youth. The first media campaign of the year focused on how ‘Most Teens Don’t.’ This campaign, in Partnership with the Substance Abuse Free Indian River Coalition, focused on changing the norm surrounding ‘everyone does it.’ The poster highlights how 84% of Indian River County Teens do not vape, to increase awareness among youth that vaping is not the norm. |  |
The Indian River County Commissioners and the City Council of Vero Beach both passed proclamations in the month of October, recognizing October as vaping awareness month. At there presentations, community members, parents, and youth were encouraged to seek out accurate information on the dangers of vaping and attend the annual vaping town hall hosted by SWAT... Read More
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The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County is Making Plans for the Upcoming 2022-2023 Year
September 2, 2022
The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County is dedicated to the creation of tobacco-free social norms through a combination of community education, youth advocacy and changes in local tobacco policies. The Partnership met on August 18, 2022, at the United Way Center and identified multiple policy areas which will be priority this fiscal year. The Partnership will continue its work alongside Students Working Against Tobacco and QuitDoc to address the policy and education priorities of the organization. The policy and education priorities for this year include:
Tobacco-Free K-12 Schools: According to the 2020 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey the current e-cigarette usage rate in Indian River County is 16.5% (ages 11-17). The Partnership is continuing their efforts to educate youth, parents, and decisionmakers about the dangers of these devices. On January 24, 2022, the School District of Indian River County implemented their new policy that includes almost all the recommended comprehensive policy provisions. The missing element remains a written commitment of tobacco prevention education. The Partnership will continue to educate the School District on the importance of making a written commitment to tobacco prevention education by adding the missing element to the policy.
Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing: There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. In addition, research has clearly demonstrated that in multi-unit buildings, tobacco smoke travels from smokers’ units into the units of non-smokers. Smoke can also travel between the units of smokers into common areas such as hallways and lobbies. The QuitDoc Foundation and Tobacco Free Partnership will continue their work from previous years in establishing tobacco-free policies in apartment complexes and condominiums to ensure that every resident has the right to clean air. Read More
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SWAT Members Took Time to Celebrate!
August 31, 2022
SWAT, or Students Working Against Tobacco, is a youth coalition whose mission is to mobilize, educate and equip Florida’s youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. The SWAT Chapter in Indian River County has partnered with local organization, Substance Abuse Free Indian River (SAFIR) to empower local youth to educate peers and the community.
This quarter, students and advisors took the time to celebrate the accomplishments of our SWAT leaders over the past school year. Students were recognized for their efforts on advocacy, coordinating local events, and attending the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Mid-Year Training. In addition to the celebration, SWAT leaders have started recruiting new members for the new school year.
The SWAT Chapter in Indian River County understands how important ommunity engagement is to their cause. Students throughout the county volunteer hours of their time each month to focus on educating the community on the mission of SWAT and the dangers associated with tobacco use. This quarter, SWAT leaders attended local meetings and events within the community and collaborated with local organizations. For the upcoming year, SWAT will continue to have a presence at local community events. SWAT clubs will also continue their work on advocacy skills through club-based projects. Read More
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SWAT Members Host First Annual Better Decisions Week
May 20, 2022
Students Working Against Tobacco Members at Indian River Charter High School began a new tradition this year, hosting "Better Decisions Week" from May 16-20, 2022. SWAT members wanted to close the school year strong and remind fellow peers to make better decisions this summer. This week, sponsored by the Substance Abuse Free Indian River (SAFIR) Coalition, allowed students to plan and create their first weeklong event. The event occurred during the last full week of school for students to help students kick of their summer and begin thinking about their summer plans.
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The SWAT members set the goal of the week to encourage as many students as possible to think about positive decisions they can make this summer. The SWAT members focused on this goal and developed activities and media that would highlight making better decisions. The focus of the week was the ‘Better Decisions’ bathroom posters distributed throughout the school. These posters, created by a local SWAT member, gave students a quote, riddle, and fact each day. These posters quickly became the search of the day, as students would look to see the changes in the poster each morning. For SWAT members, this was a fun and innovative way to educate peers and get them talking about making better decisions. |
Other days focused on fun activities that the club hosted at school throughout the lunch period. For SWAT members, each day had an activity focused on bring positive change to the community and highlighting the impact of better decisions. On Tuesday, the club held a bake sale to raise funds for a non-profit organization. Wednesday, all students and faculty were encouraged to wear the color yellow in support of better decisions. On Thursday, SWAT held a table at lunch where students were encouraged to write their ‘summer resolution’ focusing on how they were going to make a better decision this summer. These summer resolutions were displayed on a banner in the courtyard. The week closed on Friday, with two students being recognized for their better decisions. Throughout the week, faculty and students were encouraged to nominate students who have gone above and beyond in their daily school life. These two students were recognized with a gift basket and a school-wide announcement. Read More |
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New Bill Gives Life to Tobacco-Free Parks Initiatives in Florida
By: Christien Peterson
April 1, 2022
In March of 2022, Florida senators passed a significant bill that would give local communities the power to ban smoking at parks and beaches. Since 2003, Florida has struggled to control smoking on its beautiful parks and beaches due to a bill that limited city and county governments, only allowing the state of Florida to restrict tobacco use. Smoke-free laws can help those who smoke quit while also preventing young people from becoming smokers. The passage of this bill will promote the health of communities by reducing smoking, which would protect communities from exposure to secondhand smoke and keep our parks and beaches clean.
Secondhand smoke comes from the use of tobacco products that has been exhaled by the person using the tobacco products Even being exposed to secondhand smoke for a short time can be harmful to the health of adults and children Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals that are known to be toxic and potentially cancer causing Secondhand smoke can have devasting effects on non-smokers and can potentially lead to lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke in adults Children are also at high risk when exposed to secondhand smoke because their bodies are still developing Tobacco-free laws are the only ways to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke completely. It is crucial for the health of our communities for our parks and beaches to be tobacco-free.
Tobacco-free parks and beaches positively contribute to the health of people in the community and the health of our environment. Did you know that in 2019 cigarette butts were the most commonly found littered item on beaches and waterways in the United States? It is also estimated that every year tons of cigarette butts find their way into our environment A study discovered that one cigarette butt soaked for 24 hours in water released a number of toxins capable of killing half of the fish exposed to it for 96 hours Traditional cigarettes are not the only tobacco product that can harm the environment. Electronic cigarettes can be more of a threat by introducing metals, batteries, toxic chemicals from the liquid of electronic cigarettes, and single-use cartridges into the environment. Liquid cartridges from electronic cigarettes contain heavy metals and nicotine salts that get into the soil and waterways, threatening local wildlife who could consume them. Read More
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The Impact of Point-of-Sale Tobacco Advertising
March 14, 2022
You have probably seen countless retail locations that look like the one pictured in this article. You can probably name several local places that are littered with tobacco advertisements throughout the outside, on the windows, on gas pumps, or indoors. Tobacco advertisements at retail locations have become commonplace, and that is a problem. The tobacco industry spends 9.5 billion dollars a year marketing its products, with a majority of that budget allocated at the point of sale. In Florida alone, the tobacco industry spends 600 million dollars (1). With this money, the tobacco industry can control every aspect of the advertisements that you see at the store, from the location, types of ads, and even pricing (2).
| These industry tactics have a purpose; to attract youth users to their products. Youth who are exposed to advertisements at the retail point of sale at least twice are week are twice as likely to start using tobacco products (3). One of the products that have grown in popularity among youth has been electronic cigarettes. Currently, one in five high schoolers reports using an electronic cigarette device (4). The significant reason for the popularity of these devices is the use of kid-friendly flavors and packaging. Flavors are often listed as one of the top three reasons for youth trying these products (5). These tactics, coupled with advertisements close to schools and high retailer density, contribute to an increased risk that youth will start using tobacco products. |  |
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Students Working Against Tobacco Set Sights on Community Engagement
March 1, 2022
SWAT, or Students Working Against Tobacco, is a youth coalition whose mission is to mobilize, educate and equip Florida’s youth to revolt against and de-glamorize Big Tobacco. The SWAT Chapter in Indian River County has partnered with local organization, Substance Abuse Free Indian River (SAFIR) to empower local youth to educate peers and the community.
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Over the years, SWAT students have garnered knowledge on the dangers of tobacco and electronic cigarettes and are ready to put their knowledge into action. SWAT students this quarter were determined to educate community members and peers on the dangers associated with tobacco use. This quarter, SWAT participated in the SAFIR Family Fun Festival, educating community members on the SWAT program and youth on the dangers of electronic cigarettes. SWAT youth also hosted a Friday Night Done Right, in partnership with SAFIR, to offer an alternative event for youth that is free of tobacco and other substances. For February, SWAT youth hosted a cooking event, where teens from the local community could learn to make pizza and chocolate mousse. The SWAT Chapter in Indian River County understands how important community engagement is to their cause. Students throughout the county volunteer hours of their time each month to focus on educating the community on the mission of SWAT and the dangers associated with tobacco use. |
| The next time you walk into a store, I challenge you to look at where these advertisements are located, chances are, you will find them in close proximity to candy or youth-oriented products. This is because these advertisements have a purpose; to attract youth users to their products. |
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The Tobacco Free Partnership of Indian River County spent several weeks looking at the types of tobacco products and advertisements that are in our store. One of the products that have grown in popularity among youth has been electronic cigarettes. And it comes to no surprise, that the products that were near candy or at the clear front of all tobacco displays, were electronic cigarettes. Read More
