REALITY CHECK

Reality Check (RC) started in 2000 and is made up of teens from every county in New York State who want to tell the tobacco industry they can no longer target teens and young adults without any resistance. Reality Check is a youth-led movement within the New York State Department of Health Tobacco Control Program that is committed to exposing the manipulative and deceptive marketing practices of the tobacco industry.

Reality Check strives to change the social norm regarding tobacco by de-normalizing and de-glamorizing tobacco, tobacco use and the tobacco industry.

Reality Check provides members with skills and strategies to alert their peers, community members and community leaders to recognize that

  • Tobacco is the number one preventable cause of death and disease in the world.
  • Tobacco companies continue to target teens and young adults as "replacement smokers".
  • We all need to take action to get tobacco and the tobacco industry out of our communities.

Reality Check youth from all over New York have been instrumental in getting tobacco ads out of magazines that are sent to schools and read by youth, getting smoking out of youth rated films, reducing or eliminating tobacco ads that are displayed in retail stores and getting community events to adopt polices not to allow the industry to have anything to do with their event. Youth have also had great success in working with parks and other outdoor spaces, getting them to adopt policies to become smoke-free.

Through the years, youth have been the lead voice at countless press events, meetings with legislators, town hall meetings, city council meetings, school board meetings and numerous parent group meetings. They have attended and participated in national conferences, held rallies all over the state and some neighboring states, and some have even had the unique opportunity to travel abroad. RC youth have been asked by numerous states to present what we are and do and have been looked at as leaders from programs across the country.

If you would like more information about Reality Check click on the "you" icon and complete the form.