he Youth Advocates of the Year Awards honor top youth advocates from around the country -- youth who have fought hard to promote tobacco prevention legislation in their home states, to reduce tobacco marketing to kids in their communities and to stop their peers from using tobacco. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids provides a $5,000 scholarship for the national youth winner, $2,500 scholarships for each regional winner, and $2,000 for the international grant winner. The winners received their scholarships and grants at a gala in Washington, D.C. and attended our second annual Youth Advocacy Symposium. Close to thirty past and present award winners and finalists worked together throughout the week at advocacy events and various trainings, including workshops on media strategy, public speaking, and youth empowerment.

National
Kassie Hobbs, 18, Bettendorf, Iowa

Kassie Hobbs, from Bettendorf, IA, served as the president of J.E.L., Just Eliminate Lies, Iowa's statewide youth program. Kassie spent much of her senior year of high school advocating for a tobacco excise tax increase in Iowa, and to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco. Kassie is currently a member of TFK's Board of Directors, and has represented TFK at the 2004 National Conference on Tobacco or Health, as well as a press conference at the Capitol along with Members of Congress.

International Grant Winner
Tracy Meng, 17, Copley, Ohio

Tracy Meng, of Copley, OH, has been working with Asian American Youth Against Tobacco (AAYAT) for the past three years. She has served as an AAYAT intern and a member of AAYAT's youth advisory panel. Tracy was born in Anshan, China, and moved to the United States when she was four. She recently returned to China to work with the high school in her family's hometown and also helped her grandfather quit smoking. Tracy continues to keep in touch with this school and is working with students there and at AAYAT on campaigns encouraging the U.S. and China to ratify the international tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

East Region
Kaitlyn Reilly, 17, Dover, New Hampshire

Kaitlyn Reilly, from Dover, NH, is a six-year member of Dover Youth to Youth, which works to reduce youth tobacco and drug use. She is currently a team leader within the group and has traveled across the country leading presentations at state and local youth summits, as well as national conferences. Kaitlyn's public testimony helped convince the Dover City Council to unanimously adopt her ordinance to make a local skate park smoke-free. She recently submitted and helped pass another ordinance to make a local education and recreation center smoke-free.

South Region
Erin Sylvester, 17, Panama City, Florida

Erin Sylvester, from Panama City, FL, has been a member of SWAT – Students Working Against Tobacco – for the past six years. She served in various leadership positions within SWAT, including five years as County Chair, and a year as the State Chair. In 2002, Erin led efforts to pass a Tobacco Product Placement Ordinance in her county, helping ensure tobacco products were placed behind the counter.

Central Region
Ashley Shultz, 17, Waller, Texas

Ashley Shultz, of Waller, TX, founded her local SWAT Team (Students Working Against Tobacco) and has led the group for the past two years. Ashley's SWAT Team focuses its efforts on tobacco prevention and education, as well as supporting tobacco control policy initiatives and cessation programs. Ashley also serves as a Texas Teen Ambassador for Tobacco Prevention and works closely with the state department of health in developing Texas' statewide youth programs Duck and Worth It.

West Region
Thania Balcorta, 17, Winters, California

Thania Balcorta of Winters, CA, is the president of her local youth coalition, YUFA STAR –Youth United for Action Showing Tobacco Ain't Right. Thania has also been a member of the California Youth Advocacy Network's youth board of directors for the past two years and is currently a member of the American Legacy Foundation's Youth Advisory Panel. Thania's local efforts focus on tobacco retailer licensing. She is currently advocating for increased fees for tobacco permits, as well as increased enforcement of tobacco sales policies.

Group
BOLD Teens Against Tobacco, Dorchester, Massachusetts

BOLD Teens Against Tobacco, from Dorchester, MA, is taking the lead in youth tobacco prevention efforts in Massachusetts. BOLD Teens was established in 1997 and just two years later convinced The Boston Globe to stop accepting tobacco advertisements, ending a million dollar contract. The following month The Boston Herald did the same. BOLD Teens also took part in successful efforts to make Boston and then Massachusetts 100 percent smoke-free. BOLD Teens is active in the Dorchester community, focusing local efforts on establishing a "Tobacco-Free Sales Zone" by generating merchant and public support to eliminate the sale of tobacco in their zip code.