YOUTH FOR HEALTH (Y4H)

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YOUTH FOR HEALTH (Y4H)

• Presented by
• Ms. Wanelisa Albert
• 24th January 2007

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Youth for Health is a global youth activist
group with regular exchange of views on health
policies.
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• Global Youth Meet on Health, India 2006

• Organised by the Health Related Information
  Dissemination Among Youth Action Network
  (Hriday-Shan)
• Meeting proposed to empower youth from around the
  world through enhanced health awareness and to
  impart health advocacy skills to these young
  leaders such as interacting with policy makers
  and the media
• Youth delegates return to their countries, and
  steer campaigns to motivate peers and their
  governments to enforce health promoting policies
  on local, provincial and national level
• Tobacco was one of the themes of the conference
• 4 South African youths were nominated by the
  Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa to
  represent South Africa

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• The South African youth activists have formed a
  Youth Branch of The Heart and Stroke Foundation
  South Africa

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Prevention in Youth

• Most youths start smoking before their 18th
  Birthday
• Recent trends indicate that smoking prevalence is
  increasing amongst adolescence due to peer
  pressure
• Research shows that the age of youth
  experimenting with smoking is becoming younger,
  some as young at 10 years old!
• Adolescents and school aged children should be a
  primary focus for intervention strategies!
• Youth 4 Health therefore supports the Tobacco
  Bills objective of reducing the incidence of
  smoking in public areas where children are
  present and a stricter control on the age of
  youth buying tobacco products

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Tobacco could prevent us from becoming adults!

• Over 40 of young people in South Africa think
  smokers have more friends. (WHO)
• The younger a person begins to smoke, the greater
  the risk of eventually contracting smoking caused
  diseases such as cancer or heart disease
• 50 of young people who continue to smoke will
  die from smoking
• With this in mind we support the Amendment to the
  Bill that proposes to increase the legal age for
  purchasing cigarettes

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Y4H Resolve to..

• Collectively campaign on common causes involving
  tobacco control and other major issues relevant
  to health
• Strive for shaping social conditions that are
  conducive to the health of all sections of
  society
• Contribute to making the world a safer, happier
  and healthier place for young people to grow up
  in and lead productive lives
• HSFSA Youth Branch will focus on
• Education and prevention in schools
• World No Tobacco Day Awareness Campaigns

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Conclusion..

• We, the youth of South Africa, depend on
  Government to enforce a Tobacco Bill which will
  protect our health and prolong our lives.
• Smoking kills help us live longer!