January 28, 2003

WHAT:  The Mecklenburg County Health Department hosts a weekend-long, regional summit to help teens fight tobacco use.

WHEN:  Friday, January 31 - Sunday, February 2

WHERE:  Adams Mark Hotel at 555 S. McDowell Street, in Uptown Charlotte

WHO:  Event contact is Ebony Randall, Project ASSIST coordinator for the Mecklenburg County Health Department, 704-336-4660.

WHY:  Hundreds of teenagers from around central North Carolina will share in a unique, learning opportunity about creating smoke-free communities.  Project ASSIST, the Mecklenburg County Health Department's tobacco use prevention and reduction program, is host of the first-ever Central Region Youth Summit.

The ?Y (Question Why) Youth Empowerment Centers and the North Carolina Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch are sponsoring this event.  About 200 teens are expected to attend the workshops and seminars.

Youth leaders from North Carolina, Georgia and Florida have been invited to share information about successful programs they've launched with Summit participants and to talk about ways participants can create policy changes where they live, in their schools and in their communities.  This event is free to teen tobacco prevention groups.