SWAT Uprising

1
SWAT Uprising

• Supporting
• Youth Tobacco Prevention
• Advocacy in Florida

2
SWAT Roots

• On August 25, 1997, the State of Florida
  negotiated a historic settlement. Proceeds from
  that settlement currently provide 400 million
  per year to the State of Florida.
• 3.5 Billion since 1998

3
SWAT Roots

• In February of 1998 over 500 Florida middle and
  high school youth gathered at the invitation of
  the late Governor Lawton Chiles to plan and lead
  the first youth-focused, youth directed
  anti-tobacco movement nationwide.
• SWAT, Students Working Against Tobacco, and the
  counter-marketing campaign, truth, were born.

4
SWAT Mission and Goals

• The mission of SWAT is to enrage and empower a
  new generation of youth to become activists by
  combating the lies and deceitful tactics of the
  tobacco industry.

5
SWAT Roots

• SWAT has 3 main goals
• Prevent youth tobacco use
• Reduce youth tobacco use
• Protect youth from secondhand smoke

6
SWAT Roots

• Comprehensive Youth Tobacco Prevention Program
• Six Components
• Youth Empowerment - SWAT
• Counter-marketing - truth
• Education and Training - curriculum
• Enforcement - citations
• Diversity Initiatives
• Community Partnerships
• Evaluation - FYTS

7
SWAT Roots
8
SWAT Success

• Since 1998, the smoking prevalence among high
  school students has dropped 42.7 smoking
  prevalence among middle school students has
  dropped 60
• At the same time, those students identifying
  themselves as committed never smokers has
  increased in both middle and high school since
  1998

9
SWAT Success

• Over 70,000 SWAT members statewide in 2002
• however, membership decreased
• to just over 5,000 in 2004
• SWATs nationally acclaimed
• counter-marketing campaign, truth,
• had an 89 recognition rate among youth in
  2002 (FAME, 2002)

10
Interpreting Success

• Among FL public middle and high school students,
  prevalence decreased faster between 1998-2002
  than during 2002-2005
• According to the 2005 FYTS, current and lifetime
  smoking among middle school students remained
  unchanged from 2004-2005.
• Although the 2005 FYTS indicates a decrease in
  high school current and lifetime use, there was
  no significant decrease between 2002-2004

11
Tobacco Industry Spending
12

• Big Tobacco spent 969 million in 2003 on tobacco
  marketing in Florida alone.
• More than any other state

13
So where do we stand now?
14
Big Tobacco is still killing 88 Floridians each
day.And recruiting 100 of our youth each day as
replacements.
15
How do we fight an industry that is outspending
us 968 to 1?
16
Maintaining SWAT

• The Youth Empowerment component, SWAT, is the
  only survivor of the budget reductions of 2003
• Although SWAT has maintained its structure in
  theory, the infrastructure necessary to support
  the youth advocacy efforts has weakened

17
Maintaining SWAT

• School/community-based SWAT organizations are
  chapters where engaged youth participate on the
  local level in anti-industry activities
• Statewide Board of Directors are comprised of one
  youth in each county that represents the youth
  from his/her county
• Executive Committee members are BOD reps who have
  been elected, three per region, to lead the Board
  and state SWAT chapters

18
Maintaining SWAT

• Current Staffing levels
• 1 Program Manager
• 1 Statewide Advocacy Coordinator
• 5 Regional Tobacco Coordinators
• Much Appreciated Supporters
• Tobacco Contacts at Health Depts.
• SWAT Advisors at schools (mostly teachers)
• Safe Drug Free School Coordinators
• Parents
• Tri-agencies, NGOs
• Community Anti-Drug Coalitions

19
Florida Tobacco Control Regions
1
ESCAMBIA
HOLMES
OKALOOSA
JACKSON
SANTA ROSA
NASSAU
WASHINGTON
JEFFERSON
WALTON
GADSDEN
3
HAMILTON
CALHOUN
LEON
MADISON
BAY
DUVAL
BAKER
SUWANNEE
LIBERTY
WAKULLA
COLUMBIA
TAYLOR
UNION
CLAY
ST JOHNS

GULF
LAFAYETTE
BRADFORD
FRANKLIN
2
GILCHRIST
Region 1 13 counties Bay Calhoun Escambia Frankli
n Gadsden Gulf Holmes Jackson Liberty Okaloosa Sa
nta Rosa Walton Washington
ALACHUA
PUTNAM
DIXIE
FLAGLER
Region 2 16 counties Alachua Baker Bradford Colum
bia Dixie Gilchrist Hamilton Jefferson Lafayette
Leon Levy Madison Suwannee Taylor Union Wakulla
LEVY
MARION
Region 3 16 counties Baker Citrus Clay Duval Flag
ler Hernando Lake Marion Nassau Orange Pasco Putna
m St. Johns Seminole Sumter Volusia
VOLUSIA
LAKE
CITRUS
SEMINOLE
SUMTER
Region 4 16 counties Brevard Charlotte DeSoto Gla
des Hardee Hendry Highlands Hillsborough Indian
River Lee Manatee Okeechobee Osceola Pinellas Polk
Sarasota
HERNANDO
ORANGE
BREVARD
PASCO
Region 5 7 counties Broward Collier Dade Martin
Monroe Palm Beach St. Lucie
POLK
OSCEOLA
HILLSBOROUGH
PINELLAS
INDIAN RIVER
MANATEE
4
OKEECHOBEE
HARDEE
ST LUCIE
HIGHLANDS
DESOTO
SARASOTA
MARTIN
GLADES
CHARLOTTE
PALM BEACH
HENDRY
LEE
5
BROWARD
COLLIER
MONROE
DADE
20
Reinventing SWAT and truth

• SWAT has had to change its approach to
  counter-marketing and peer education for two
  reasons
• Budget Reductions
• Proviso Language

21
Reinventing SWAT and truth

• Proviso Language of 2004
• Funds can not be used for TV, radio or print ads
  or media of any type
• (Its hard to run a counter-marketing
  campaign, like truth, when you are not allowed to
  buy marketing)

22
Reinventing SWAT and truth

• Opportunity to become the face of truth with
  edgy, cool anti-industry activities
• Return to grassroots advocacy
• Emergence of Street Marketing

23
SWAT Successes since 2003

• Truth Reloaded Commercial Contest
• 51 Billion commercial and initiative
• Join the Fight commercial
• Summit 8 Advocacy Tour
• Regional Advocacy Tours

24
SWAT Call to Action

• Develop a working relationship with the
• RTPC covering your county
• Include RTPC in county prevention partnerships or
  committees
• Assist in identifying potential SWAT
  organizations and/or Advisors at schools
• Be a point of contact for county SWAT youth and
  RTPC to disseminate SWAT information
• Incorporate SWAT advocacy activities and tobacco
  education/prevention into grants being sought