Expanding the GYAT Network...

Are you a youth advocate interested in collaborating with youth advocates in other countries to counter the tobacco industry's global expansion? If so, consider becoming a member of the GYAT Network! For an overview of what we're about and membership requirements, check out this handy dandy information sheet:
GYATInfo.pdf

For a more detailed summary of our activities and actions, see:
GYATActivitiesAction.pdf

To become a member, you will need to complete and return this application form: GYATApplicationForm.doc

Campaign to Stop Tobacco Sponsorship of George Benson Concert in Indonesia

In November 2006, an Indonesian GYAT member found out that an American jazz singer’s upcoming concert in Jakarta was being sponsored by a tobacco company. Quick cross-border research between U.S. and Indonesian GYAT members generated sufficient information to launch an online email campaign targeting Benson’s U.S.-based agent in a last minute effort to halt the tobacco company’s sponsorship of the concert. The campaign had an immediate impact, and the agent reported that the tobacco signage inside the concert was removed. Click here for more information

British American Tobacco Annual Meeting

GYAT members from the U.S. and Nigeria collaborated with Action on Smoking or Health (London) and members of the England-based groups D-Myst and ATYC to organize multiple youth advocacy events around the meeting, including an advocacy training and a rally outside the meeting itself. GYAT members from India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Sudan, Tanzania, Vietnam also provided valuable information for ASH’s report “You’ve got to be kidding” which details how the company is targeting worldwide and was released on the day of the meeting. In response to the report and irrefutable evidence that BAT promotes single sales of cigarettes in Nigerian that one of the Nigerian youth advocates presented to a BAT executive, the company has acknowledged violating its own marketing code of conduct. ASH has also been inspired to seek funding to establish a youth advocacy program in England. For more information see ASH’s press releases about the meeting (available at www.ash.org.uk) and a video created by Ken Dahlgren:

Altria Shareholders Meeting

Over 100 youth advocates from 13 different U.S. states and Indonesia, including numerous GYAT members, organized advocacy events around the Altria meeting, including a one-day training, a rally outside of the meeting, statements inside the meeting, and a rally outside the company’s headquarters in New York City. They exposed how the company continues to target youth in the U.S. and around the world and echoed a global call to “quarantine” the company to prevent it from further poisoning another generation. Voice of America Indonesia (television, radio, web) covered the events extensively. For more information, see examples of Altria/Philip Morris promotions worldwide, including those collected by GYAT members based in Argentina, Indonesia, and the UK, and the full report on the activities.

GYAT India video finished! Check it!

Or see a high resolution version of it here. here (You need Quicktime 7 to view.)

International Week of Action for Smokefree Movies

GYAT members in India, Romania, the U.S. and elsewhere participated in the annual International Week of Action for Smokefree Movies to push Hollywood to implement four policy measures advocated by the Smokefree Movies Action Network and endorsed by the World Health Organization, and to encourage other countries to implement these policy measures, as appropriate. Click here for more information

GYM 2006 Agra, India
A delegation of GYAT Participants traveled to India Nov. 7th to Nov. 20 to help lead a training in Lucknow, India with our fellow GYAT'er Bobby Ramakant, and also to participate in the Global Youth Meet in Agra, India. The trip was incredible, it was amazing to work other GYAT'ers in their home countries, and to learn about how other countries are dealing with tobacco control. We are putting together a video of whole trip, and are putting up a bunch of the pictures on the GYAT Flickr page.

More info to come, but wanted to say the trip was a blast, and it's another great example of GYAT collaboration.