1999 Award Winners National Winner East Mid-West Central South West Group Award

Elizabeth McAuliffe was eight when her grandmother died. She recalls her parents' explanation: "They told me the reason she died was she smoked cigarettes and got lung cancer," said Elizabeth, now 16. This tenacious 10th grader from Mesa High School in Mesa, Arizona, has since become an avid activist in the fight against tobacco use. Her efforts to prevent her friends and family from picking up this deadly habit have earned her the 1999 West Regional Youth Advocates of the Year Award from the Washington, DC-based CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS.

Elizabeth's drive to educate others about the dangers of tobacco led her to launch the youth group Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU) at Powell Junior High School. Through TATU, she developed a peer education program centered on theatrical skits such as "James Bond Battles Bad Breath," and "Smoky Spice Joins the Spice Girls." She and her friends performed these plays at health fairs and community celebrations.

"Some of my peers think that everyone else is smoking and they feel pressured to join in," said Elizabeth. "With my skits, I try to show them that smoking isn't the cool thing to do and it won't make them more popular."

Elizabeth's creativity also has been put to use with the Mesa Partnership for Tobacco-Free Youth. Elizabeth donned a purple dragon costume and transformed herself into the mascot for the partnership’s "Don’t be a Gaggin’ Dragon" campaign.

While Elizabeth's most important message to her peers is about the health consequences of tobacco use, she also wants to give other students the knowledge and skills to combat tobacco marketing aimed at youth. Elizabeth is the chairperson of Mesa's Spring Anti-Tobacco Youth Summit. During this summit, students of all ages will gather to discuss how they can take action against youth tobacco use and the tobacco industry.

"I've seen what tobacco can do to you, and I've watched my grandmother die from her addiction," said Elizabeth. "It upsets me to see others heading down the same path."

To teach her classmates about the dangers of tobacco use, Elizabeth has spearheaded the group PARTY (Proud And Responsible Tobacco-Free Youth) in her school. PARTY members visit elementary schools to perform puppet shows and hand out tobacco-control themed coloring books. They also have the children perform exercises, including blowing through thin straws, to understand what it is like to have a tobacco-related disease.

Elizabeth's mission is not confined to the classroom; she has taken her message to local and state legislators. Last year, she helped organize an anti-tobacco youth rally in Phoenix, and continues to contact legislators about the need to fund tobacco prevention programs.

"I want legislators to know that the youth of America are committed to fighting tobacco," said Elizabeth. "This is the fight for our lives, and we aren't giving up until we win."

In her role as a Youth Advocate of the Year, she will serve as a spokesperson for the CAMPAIGN for media events, share her views on tobacco prevention issues with her peers and adults, work to increase awareness of the tobacco industry's insidious youth marketing tactics, and encourage kids across the country to take a stand against tobacco use in their communities.