John,

It's one of the most exciting times of the year for us: Our week-long Youth Advocacy Symposium is happening now in Washington, D.C.! 

Each year, we bring together dozens of young leaders from around the U.S. to share and learn skills to be stronger advocates in the fight against tobacco. They participate in immersive training sessions and real-world advocacy experiences – including meeting with members of Congress.

After the week is over, these young people will work with us throughout the year to educate their peers and advocate for effective policies to reduce youth tobacco use, including ending the sale of flavored tobacco products that are addicting a new generation. They're on the front lines of this crisis; they see it every day in their schools. This makes their voices very important – and extremely powerful – in the fight to stop Big Tobacco from targeting kids.

Support our year-round youth advocacy training programs >>

Our mission is to listen to these young people's stories, empower them to fight back against this predatory industry, and give them the skills and resources they need to do it. You make this possible.

Here are more scenes from the week so far, through my cell phone's camera lens:

Learn more about our work with young people at TakeDownTobacco.org.

Best wishes,