Our Community Partners
TFA works with youth groups in Ramsey and Dakota County, including African American, Asian American, Latino, and LGBTQ communities, as well as campuses that face tobacco-related health disparities. Youth groups work to educate their peers, community members, and decision-makers on the harms of commercial tobacco and how it affects their community.
Current Partners
Anglo Latinos Motivated to Succeed (ALMAS)
A group of students from Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights is dedicated to serving the community and promoting the health of the community.
Tobacco-Free Society
Tobacco-Free Society (TFS) is a student group at Eagan High School. TFS is passionate about preventing another generation from becoming lifelong smokers. TFS has led vaping prevention workshops for students at multiple middle schools across Dakota County and engages in local and state-level tobacco prevention policy efforts to improve health outcomes and disparities.
Instagram: @eagantfs
Vape Waste Team
The Vape Waste Team addresses the public health problems caused by e-cigarette product waste. Dakota County residents will benefit from the proposed work because youth-informed messaging about the environmental impacts of e-cigarettes has the potential to both improve the environment by reducing the overall plastic, tech waste, and toxic waste caused by e-cigarettes and improve public health by reducing youth vaping initiation with youth-informed innovative messaging about the negative impact of vaping on the environment.
Instagram: @vapewaste_in_dakotacounty
ISD 196
In a proactive effort to address the rising concerns of youth vaping, Tobacco Free Alliance (TFA) joined with ISD 196 Developmental Psychology (DP) teachers in spring 2023 with the support of Dakota County Public Health SHIP. DP, a senior Social Studies class, focuses on personal development and teaching, with a key component involving teaching the district’s chemical prevention curriculum to sixth graders.
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In this innovative partnership, TFA trained all seven DP classes across the four ISD 196 high schools, reaching a total of 168 DP students. The training centered on TFA's teen vaping prevention workshop, "Unpacking Myths and Facts about Vaping."
Following the training, DP students applied what they learned by creating a 30-minute class to educate their sixth-grade groups about the risks of vaping and facilitate meaningful discussions with their younger peers about vaping harms. A total of 1300 sixth graders participated.
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The DP students assessed both the training received and the impact of their classes on sixth graders. Notably, 93.1% of DP students completing the assessment reported that the training provided them with valuable skills to communicate effectively about the risks of vaping with sixth graders. This strong consensus highlights the initiative's success in empowering students to address this crucial health issue with their younger peers.
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Due to the positive outcomes, the program has been invited back for the upcoming school year and will begin training this year’s DP cohort in winter 2024.
Hastings Middle School
Peer-to-peer vaping prevention.
Select Past Partners & Project Highlights
Johnson SADD
Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) at Johnson High School is a prevention program aimed at promoting Positive Youth development and empowering students to be involved in their school and community. SADD’s work is focused on bringing awareness of the harms of tobacco in their community.
Vision in Living Life
Vision in Living Life – Change is Possible (VILL) is a youth leadership program that engages Saint Paul youth in activities that allow them to experience growth from within. V.I.L.L. is led by Damone Presley.
Escape the Vape
TFA directed the statewide Escape the Vape contest its first two years in partnership with MDH and other organizations. Teens created and submitted 30-second Public Service Announcement videos to educate their peers on the dangers of vaping. TFA facilitated youth engagement in all aspects of the contest, including developing and providing feedback on contest website content, promotional materials, and messaging. Youth managed the contest’s social media, promoted the contest at school, and judged submissions. Contest participation increased by 163% from 2021 to 2022.
Tobacco-Free Campus Work
TFA worked with four campus sites: Macalester College, Hamline University, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and Hennepin Healthcare to organize, pass, and implement tobacco-free campus policies.