For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Graffiti Art Tells The TRUTH About Tobacco
Now on Display at The TRUTH Terrain Park at Brighton
Salt Lake City – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is taking The TRUTH about tobacco to high-risk youth at Brighton Ski Resort with colorful urban art at The TRUTH Terrain Park. As part of a new sponsorship, The TRUTH is offering skiers and boarders discounted tickets and prizes through www.warriorsagainsttobacco.com.
The TRUTH commissioned internationally-known graffiti artists to paint the terrain park's rails and wall ride with the theme "See through the smoke, don't be manipulated." The artwork depicts images of corporate devils seducing others to smoke, burning money to represent the high costs of smoking and the satisfaction that can come from saying "no" to tobacco.
"Brighton is a major smoking hangout," says Chelsey Wilson, snowboarder and youth activist against tobacco. "I think the artwork will really grab the attention of high-risk kids."
Representatives of The TRUTH campaign will be at Brighton every Monday night all season long. Skiers may print a half-priced night skiing ticket from the warriorsagainsttobacco.com Web site for use on Monday nights. By taking part in an anti-tobacco activity, youth may enter to win an anti-tobacco snowboard designed by renowned artist Nate Williams. New signage will be posted near the lift lines reminding skiers and boarders that smoking is not allowed.
Andy Nelson and Woodrow Lash are the artists behind The TRUTH graffiti. Nelson and Lash are battling the perception that all graffiti is vandalism by tackling public service projects. Nelson, who has degrees in Art and Business, is pleased to add The TRUTH to his impressive résumé of murals painted in China, Germany, Chile, Argentina and across the U.S. He compares the act of spray painting to dancing, saying "[the art form] requires me to share a rhythm with the aerosol can."
"Smoking is a dirty habit and so being invited to paint an anti-tobacco mural was a privilege," says Nelson. "The best part was coming up with concepts to illustrate the fact that smoking is basically the act of paying someone to help you kill yourself."
The TRUTH campaign has been taking its anti-smoking message to Utah youth for 10 years. Today, Utah high school students are three times less likely to smoke than their peers nationwide, and 38 percent fewer high school students smoke today than did during the campaign's early days in 1999. Still, every day in the U.S. more than 1,500 young people become regular smokers. About half will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease. Ninety percent of people start smoking before the age of 19 and most teens who smoke say they would not have started if they could do it over again. Nearly 190,000 Utahns continue to smoke cigarettes, and more than 1,100 Utahns die annually as a result of their own smoking.
For more information visit www.warriorsagainsttobacco.com.
# # #
Monday, April 23, 2007
Contact: Heather Borski
Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
801-538-9998
The TRUTH Real Noise Competition Awards Schools for
Exposing the TRUTH about Tobacco
(SALT LAKE CITY) – Three schools and one youth group have been selected as winners of the TRUTH Campaign’s 2006-07 Real Noise Competition. Cedar High School, Provo High School, Bear River Governing Youth Council, and Cedar Middle School were awarded for spreading the TRUTH about tobacco in their communities. Winners received cash prizes and the first place winner will also receive a concert for the entire school.
The TRUTH’s Real Noise contest invited junior, middle and high school students to organize an anti-tobacco activity that impacted their school and community. Students could create a mural, produce a rap video, or organize an event – whatever it took get the message heard.
“We are excited about the creative anti-tobacco activities students came up with, and the impact they had on their schools and communities,” said Heather Borski, Program Manager, Utah Department of Health Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. “We believe competitions like Real Noise are a great way to give students the opportunity to educate their peers about the dangers of tobacco and encourage them to stay tobacco-free for life.”
Entries were judged upon the strength of their anti-tobacco message, creativity, and effect on their community. The first place group won $1,000 and a concert for their entire school; second, third and fourth place winners each received $250 for their group.
CedarHigh School took first place in the Real Noise competition. Their week of activities included decorating halls with anti-tobacco banners, announcing smoking statistics at lunch events, hosting and judging a video commercial and poster contest, and holding an anti-tobacco assembly with a cancer specialist.
Provo High School took second place. Students created anti-tobacco commercials that were shown to high school and elementary students. Students also created anti-smoking costumes and visited elementary schools spreading the anti-tobacco message and handing out educational activity booklets for students to share with parents, siblings and friends.
Bear River Governing Youth Council took third place. The group gave Logan City Offices a “Heart Attack” at an event the day before Valentine’s Day. They placed 1,200 paper hearts near the city buildings to represent the 1,200 people who lose their lives every year to tobacco use. And Cedar Middle School student council and Governors Youth Council organized an event to personalize the negative affects of tobacco use. The fourth place group united against tobacco by creating posters, fliers and journal entries with their reasons not to use tobacco.
The Utah Department of Health sponsored the Real Noise competition to teach youth about the dangers of tobacco and help them make the decision to stay tobacco-free. For more information about Real Noise, please visit www.warriorsagainsttobacco.com.
# # #
The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public’s health through preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death; assuring access to affordable, quality health care; and promoting healthy lifestyles.
