Explore
Events
TRU Storms
Examples include hosting a table at a health fair, organizing a poster contest, or leading a pledge signing. TRU Storms can happen anytime or tie into national tobacco-free holidays. Check out our TRU Storm Calendar and TRU Storm Toolkit to see how we celebrate tobacco-free holidays and more!
TRU Campaigns
TRU Campaigns takes your advocacy to the next level! These activities require a bit more time and commitment and are led by the TRU Coordinator to make the process as easy and stress-free as possible!
Campaigns make a larger impact by bringing TRU students from across Pennsylvania together to participate in statewide action. This year, we’re leading the TRU Storm Advocacy Campaign (registration is closed). Coming this spring, don’t miss our TRU Group Mock Legislative Visits, a hands-on way to practice meeting with decision-makers. Check back in 2026 for more information and sign-up details!
TRU Events
Check back in the new year for more information on our annual event and to register!
Day at the Capitol 2025 Event Recap
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Day at the Capitol 2025! This inspiring day brought together youth advocates from across Pennsylvania to raise their voices for a tobacco-free future. Your energy filled the Capitol and made a lasting impression on legislators and allies alike.
What We Accomplished:
– Over 500 youth advocates and 150 adult advocates participated
– 110 legislative visits took place throughout the day
– TRU students enjoyed fun activities, shared snacks and lunch, and watched a high-energy performance by Stelen Barros
– We held a successful press conference led by ALA Chief Mission Officer Deb Brown, featuring student speaker Isabella Rosinski and special guest legislators
Your advocacy helped shine a light on the youth vaping epidemic and the urgent need for action to protect the next generation.
Key Issues
- Flavored tobacco products contain artificial or natural additives to mask tobacco’s harsh taste.
- These products include e-cigarettes, cigars, menthol cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and hookah, with over 15,000 flavors available for e-cigarettes alone.
- Flavors appeal to youth, with over 80% of youth tobacco users starting with flavored products.
- Flavored e-cigarettes drive the youth vaping epidemic, with 1.7 million students using them.
- Big Tobacco targets youth, low-income communities, LGBTQ+, and communities of color with flavored products.
- Menthol is especially harmful, masking the harshness of tobacco and appealing to new users.
- No flavored tobacco products are safer than unflavored ones; flavor additives can be harmful when inhaled.
- TRU advocates for removing all flavored tobacco products from the market to reduce youth addiction.
- The Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA), passed in 2008, prohibits smoking in public places and workplaces in Pennsylvania, with some exemptions.
- Over 2,054 venues are exempt, including certain bars, casinos, private clubs, and tobacco shops.
- Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including carcinogens, and causes lung cancer, heart disease, and other ailments.
- E-cigarettes are not covered under the CIAA, leaving people exposed to harmful secondhand emissions like nicotine and toxins.
- Thirdhand emissions cling to indoor surfaces and can pose health risks long after smoking stops.
- TRU advocates for a comprehensive clean indoor air policy to remove exemptions and protect all Pennsylvanians from secondhand and thirdhand smoke.
- Support the movement by signing petitions and raising awareness through social media campaigns like #CleanIndoorAirPA.
- Tobacco point of sale refers to tobacco advertising and promotion in retail environments, targeting teens in places like convenience stores.
- Big Tobacco can’t advertise on TV, radio, or billboards but uses retail ads inside and outside stores to promote products like cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and cigarillos.
- Research shows that tobacco marketing increases teen use and makes quitting harder for current users.
- Point of Sale strategies help limit tobacco ads in stores through licensing, regulation, and legislation.
- TRU recommends limiting tobacco retailers within 1,000 feet of schools and requiring stores to display PA Free Quitline information.
- Studies show tobacco retail ads significantly increase the likelihood of youth starting to smoke, especially in low-income and minority communities.
- E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat e-liquid, often containing nicotine.
- The aerosol from e-cigarettes contains harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and acrolein.
- Nicotine in e-cigarettes is highly addictive, particularly harmful to developing brains in youth.
- Vaping increases the likelihood of transitioning to traditional cigarette use.
- E-cigarettes are marketed to teens with appealing flavors, contributing to the youth vaping epidemic.
- Secondhand emissions from vaping can harm non-users.
- There’s no evidence that e-cigarettes are safe or effective for smoking cessation.
- The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was established in 1998 between Pennsylvania, 45 other states, and the tobacco industry.
- MSA funding is meant to support tobacco prevention and cessation programs like TRU.
- Pennsylvania received an estimated $11 billion over the first 25 years of the agreement.
- Act 77 created the Tobacco Settlement Fund, but funds are not guaranteed for prevention programs.
- Funding has been reduced over time, and advocates are needed to secure future support.
- Governor Shapiro proposed maintaining state funding in FY2024 for tobacco control.
- Tobacco Purchase, Use, and Possession (PUP) laws in Pennsylvania impose penalties on youth under 21 for using or possessing tobacco products.
- Current laws allow the youth to be fined, suspended from school, and lose privileges.
- These punitive measures do not address the underlying issue of nicotine addiction.
- Advocates, like yourselves, are working to shift the focus from punishment to providing cessation resources for youth.
- There is a push to remove penalties and prioritize education and support for addiction recovery.
- Reforming these laws can help create a more supportive approach to tackling youth nicotine use.
Achievements
What was involved?
• Youth groups like TRU (PA), RAZE (WV), and Maryland's advocates collaborated.
• Campaign successes included passing Tobacco 21 in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
• Teens participated through events like the Tobacco 21 Leadership Summit and social media efforts with #UpTheAge.
• The campaign empowered youth to advocate for policy change and educate their peers on tobacco use prevention.
Educational Courses
Within this Advocacy Toolkit, you will find various resources for TRU Youth and Advisors to learn more about how to be an advocate in your community. These materials include infographics, flyers, activities and even an Advocacy 101 Webinar Training. These resources will be updated periodically.
The American Lung Association’s Advocacy Basics course is a free, 45-minute online program teaching participants about lung health advocacy, the legislative process, and how to engage with lawmakers. It covers key differences between advocacy and lobbying and is suitable for individuals interested in strengthening their advocacy skills. Take the course here: Advocacy Basics (lung.training)
The American Lung Association’s Tobacco Basics is a free, one-hour online course with five modules on tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, health impacts, and nicotine addiction challenges. It also covers policies and quit programs. The course offers 1.0 continuing education credit for healthcare professionals and is accredited by the Council for Tobacco Treatment Training Programs and the American Association for Respiratory Care. Register here: Tobacco Basics (lung.training)
Take Down Tobacco’s comprehensive youth advocacy training program is geared toward middle and high school students to equip them with skills to create change in their communities and fight for the first tobacco-free generation. Take the training here: Advocacy Training | Take Down Tobacco
School Programs
Explore the programs listed below to address youth e-cigarette use in schools or other youth organizations. Scholarships and funding are available to support school health and wellness efforts.
Not On Tobacco ® (N-O-T) – Proven Teen Smoking and Vaping Cessation Program
N-O-T is the American Lung Association’s voluntary, non-punitive cessation program for teens aged 14-19 who want to quit vaping, smoking, or any other tobacco product. It enables teens to overcome their nicotine addiction in a safe, trusting and non-judgmental environment.
How N-O-T Works
N-O-T is taught by a trained and certified adult in ten, 50-minute sessions. It is most effective in a small group format (6-10 participants) that emphasizes team work. The easy-to-use method helps teens quit by addressing total health to develop and maintain positive behaviors. Participants will talk about the importance of physical activity, nutrition, enhancing their sense of self-control, and improving life skills such as stress management, decision making, coping and interpersonal skills. Additionally, they will learn to identify their reasons for smoking or vaping, healthy alternatives to tobacco use and finding people who will support them in their efforts to quit. After attending a seven-hour training course (online and on-demand), each facilitator is provided with a guide to deliver the structured curriculum in a school or community-based small group setting.
- Session 1: Reasons for Quitting
- Session 2: Why I Smoke/Vape
- Session 3: Nicotine Addiction and Triggers
- Session 4: Effects of Smoking/Vaping
- Session 5: Physical, Psychological and Social Benefits of Quitting
- Session 6: Quitting Nicotine Use
- Session 7: Overcoming Obstacles to Quitting
- Session 8: How to Deal with Stress
- Session 9: Myths of Big Tobacco
- Session 10: Staying Committed to Quitting
Intervention for Nicotine Dependence: Education, Prevention, Tobacco and Health (INDEPTH®) - An Alternative to Suspension or Citation
INDEPTH® is taught by a trained adult in four, 50-minutes sessions. Each session addresses a different tobacco-related issue and can be facilitated either one-on-one, in a group setting or online. The goal of every program is to educate students about nicotine dependence and cravings and ultimately guide them through the process of identifying their own reasons for chewing, smoking or vaping tobacco products. Any adult can complete the online INDEPTH® training, and facilitators receive a step-by-step guide that can be used to plan and implement the INDEPTH® program at their school or community-based organization.
- Session 1: Getting the Facts: Breaks down the program for participants
- Session 2: Nicotine Dependence: Explains the harmful effects of nicotine and tobacco products
- Session 3: Alternatives: Helps teens understand their urges and identify healthy alternatives to replace tobacco use.
- Session 4: Past, Present, Future: Talks about next steps and how to avoid future tobacco-related problems.
Let’s stop punishing students, and instead create lasting change in tobacco and nicotine usage in your school and community by starting your own INDEPTH® program.
CATCH ® My Breath – Youth Vaping Prevention Program
CATCH® My Breath is an evidence-based and peer-reviewed vaping prevention program. This program equips students with the knowledge and skills they need to make informed decisions about the use of e-cigarettes. CATCH® My Breath meets national and state health education standards. This program can be implemented in a classroom, after school activities, youth group, and more.
The CATCH® My Breath Program (grades 5-6, 7-8, and 9-12) consists of 4 unique lessons for each grade group, that are approximately 35 minutes each. Each session of the program includes a lesson plan with learner outcomes, a detailed outline of directions, and all materials such as corresponding Power Point presentations.
Youth participants will learn about the health risks of e-cigarette use and the hazardous chemicals involved, analyze tobacco marketing tactics, and understand how to develop, practice, and demonstrate refusal skills.
Educational Strategies Used:
- Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills
- Peer-facilitated cooperative learning groups
- Large-group discussions
- Analysis of mass media
- Goal setting
Vape-Free Schools Initiative – Assess Your School’s Tobacco-Free Campus Policy
Join the American Lung Association Vape-Free Schools Initiative! Through this Initiative, the Lung Association is helping schools navigate this public health emergency.
Using our assessment tool, we will identify gaps, address areas of concern and offer suggestions to improve your school’s policy. The American Lung Association supports your efforts to build a strong and comprehensive policy. A thorough policy not only protects the health and safety of students, employees and visitors, but also fosters a healthier school environment.
ACT to Address Youth Cessation – Effective Strategies to Help Youth Tobacco Users Quit
The American Lung Association’s ACT to Address Youth Cessation Training is a one-hour on-demand, online course that provides an overview for school personnel and community members in youth/adolescent supportive roles in conducting a brief intervention for teens who use tobacco. The session outlines the steps of Ask, Counsel, Treat, and provides guidance, support and best practices for effectively delivering ACT as a brief intervention for adolescents who identify as tobacco users, including e-cigarettes.
All adults in youth supportive roles are encouraged to take this free course.
Youth Cessation Programs
NOT for Me
NOT For Me is a self-guided, mobile-friendly online program from the American Lung Association, to help you break nicotine dependency, whether you vape, smoke or use other tobacco products. Over the course of 8 self-paced sessions, NOT For Me will help you understand your relationship with tobacco and nicotine addiction and give you the tools and resources to quit tobacco for good. The program will also help you improve other healthy behaviors such as nutrition, fitness, stress management, and effective communication.
My Life, My Quit
My Life, My Quit, through National Jewish Health, is a comprehensive cessation program that offers teens free help with quitting vaping or other tobacco products along with providing educational resources. Text “Start My Quit” to 36072 or c lick the link below.
1-800-QUIT-NOW
The Quitline is a free service that offers one - on - one immediate support. It is staffed by quit smoking coaches who can provide you with helpful information, advice and support as they walk you through a step - by - step plan to quit. To sign up call 1 - 800 - QUIT - NOW (1-800-784 -8669).
QuitSTART App
QuitSTART is a free app made for teens who want to quit smoking. This app takes the information you provide about your smoking history and gives you tailored tips, inspiration, and challenges to help you become smokefree and live a healthier life. This app is free to download on iPhone and Android. This free program is designed and run by the National Cancer Institute.
Smokefree TXT
Smokefree TXT is a mobile text messaging program that provides 24/7 tips, advice, and encouragement to help you quit smoking. To sign up for Smokefree TXT simply text QUIT to 47848. Th is free program is designed and run by the National Cancer Institute.
Smokefree Teen
Smokefree Teen is a web-based program designed and run by the National Cancer Institute to help you understand the decisions you make - especially the decision to quit smoking - and how those decisions fit into your life. This program is free
