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January 9, 2013CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas—Francisco Aaron Villalobos, Program Coordinator for the Transforming Texas–“Long Live Texans” campaign will be attending the “2013 Texas Youth Summit for Tobacco Prevention” in Spicewood, Texas, Jan. 11–15 and at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 16. Villalobos has been chosen to act as a facilitator during the summit.
The “Long Live Texans” campaign is administered in Corpus Christi by Catholic Charities’ Healthy Living & Advocacy Center’s Community Wellness & Education Outreach program under the Texas Department of State Health Services. The program seeks to inspire individuals and families to take control of their health, inform them of how the environment influences their personal choices and encourage them to support change in their communities to promote better health.
“I am excited to have been chosen as a facilitator for the summit,” Villalobos said. “I look forward to educating the youth attending and helping them to create strategies so that they can be a voice for their communities.”
The Texas Youth Summit is designed to give youth the opportunity to look at issues facing Texans today and develop a set of evidence-based strategies to eliminate the harmful effects of tobacco use in Texas. Two facilitators and two student representatives were selected from each of the 31 Texas Senate Districts. Darrien Skinner of Ingleside will be the other adult facilitator from the area, along with Ingleside students Max Lopez and Meagan Price who have been selected as student representatives.
Teen delegates and facilitators applied for the opportunity and were chosen by the Texas Youth Summit selection committee.
“The reason I decided to apply for this opportunity is because I understand how powerful and important it is to educate our youth about tobacco-related health issues, and it is great to see their involvement in an issue that affects them deeply,” Villalobos said.
Facilitators will guide delegates through a series of activities as they learn about the legislative process, how to develop strategies for reducing the harms caused by tobacco use in Texas and prepare to meet with lawmakers to present their evidence-based strategies for change.
Villalobos said research has demonstrated that prevention is the key to ending the cycle of tobacco-related health issues. Nine out of ten smokers began before the age of 18. More than 3,600 Texans will die from issues related to secondhand smoke exposure each year, while more than 24,500 will die from their own smoking.