Annual Youth Leadership Retreat
Our second annual retreat was held at Camp Koronis in Paynesville, MN from September 9th to 11th 2022. The retreat focused on developing leadership skills, plan strategies for combating e-cigarette use and tobacco use among youth, and having lots and lots of fun!!
Tobacco Training
SLCM offers various levels of training in commercial tobacco products prevention and control work to youth and to staff.
Our Tobacco 101 curriculum centers around fundamental data and historical work on tobacco control. The training highlights disparities in use, health outcomes, and targeting of communities of color (or BIPOC) by the tobacco industry. We also supplement publicly available data with internally generated qualitative and quantitative data.
The topic for Tobacco 102 is the manufacture, marketing, and use of electronic cigarettes, aka vaping products. Data on e-cigarette use is still emerging, and SLCM, the West African community, and our commercial tobacco control partners are continuously updating relevant data.
Tobacco 201 is training for advocacy as part of a 501c3 nonprofit organization and as a member of the community. The training process includes youth trainers with past experiences in advocacy, canvassing legislative halls, visiting policymakers, using media, and reaching out to peers.
Other Leadership Events – Global Fatherhood Day
Global Fatherhood Foundation (https://www.globalfatherhoodfoundation.org/) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that helps fathers, especially immigrant fathers, make the transition and manage their roles as fathers in sub-cultures in Minnesota.
The SLCM youth served as panelists at the 3rd annual Global Fatherhood Honors Award held at the Brooklyn Park Activity Center on August 20, 2022. The youth panelists engaged the audience in Q&As and comments on the subject of fatherhood and family while living within multiple cultures.
