Westmoreland County, VA (January 27, 2022) – As we all enter the new year, Virginians across the state often develop resolutions to help improve their health as well as the health of their communities. The locality of Colonial Beach made this resolution and was proactive in achieving it early in 2022. Director of the Colonial Beach Parks and Recreation Department, Robert Duke, took time at the start of the year to meet with King George High School freshman and Y Street member Vivian Wright to discuss the importance of establishing and sustaining tobacco-free and e-cigarette free parklands.

Y Street is the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) statewide volunteer initiative for high school students. Y Street members like Vivian strive to make sure Virginians have equitable access to clean and healthy spaces so they are active and able to enjoy the outdoors and do this by promoting the Share The Air campaign. Share The Air aims to create 100% tobacco-free parklands and public spaces by urging parks and recreation directors and other local government officials to adopt tobacco-free outdoor policies. “I am so happy Colonial Beach now has tobacco-free parkland spaces,” Vivian stated. “As a resident of Virginia, I feel it is my responsibility to help make sure it stays beautiful. Partnering with Share The Air helps ensure my siblings and I grow up in a beautiful and healthy environment without worrying about the effects of second-hand smoke or litter.”

Research has demonstrated that a strong majority of Virginians (89%) agree that parklands should be tobacco-free and vapor-free. Colonial Beach is proud to give the citizens and patrons of the locality’s public spaces what they want. Duke and Colonial Beach Mayor Robin Shick signed a commitment form to have their parklands go tobacco-free. Duke noted “It is important for us to have a smoke-free atmosphere at our parks and green spaces. We are thrilled to be partnering with Y Street and their Share The Air campaign.”

Colonial Beach joins King George County, the town of Shenandoah, and the town of Stanley as leaders in promoting clean and healthy parklands. VFHY Executive Director Marty Kilgore thanks Y Street members like Vivian for their continued advocacy and commends Colonial Beach for their dedication. “VFHY is proud to see youth advocacy like Vivian’s lead to healthier communities. This decision by the Colonial Beach Parks and Recreation Department is a testament to their dedication to providing safe parklands and public spaces for all visitors.”

About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. 

VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

Brunswick, Prince William, Fauquier, Virginia (November 10, 2021) – This week, Rev Your Bev, an initiative of the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) supported by its statewide youth-led program Y Street, kicked off its 10th Rev Your Bev Annual Celebration. Throughout the month, Y Street members are hosting events at their school and leveraging social media to empower their school community and the public to incorporate drinking water into their daily activities.

Research has consistently proven that water is the healthiest beverage choice as it acts as fuel for your body. Since 2013, Rev Your Bev and Y Street have devoted and sustained efforts to spread healthy hydration messages to help individuals make drinking water a habit and improve Virginians’ overall health.

VFHY Executive Director Marty Kilgore also shared her comments on the campaign’s longevity and continued success. “VFHY is proud to celebrate 10 years of Rev Your Bev with our Y Street Youth Leaders. This celebration is a testament of their tenacity and commitment to empowering their peers to make healthy choices.”

Adding to the celebration is a new partnership between Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation and VFHY. In collaboration with the Rev Your Bev campaign, Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation recently installed new water filling stations in local schools to make accessing water easier for the attending students. Water bottle filling stations were installed in the following Y Street partner schools:

Fauquier High School – Warrenton, VA

Brunswick High School – Lawrenceville, VA

Greensville County High School – Emporia, VA

With these new water bottle filling stations, students will now have increased access to water and the opportunity to choose water and establish healthier behaviors before, during, and after the school day. “The hydration station is amazing because we can fill our bottles up super fast. Also, the water is cold so it makes drinking water so much better,” noted Lily Paccassi, a senior at Fauquier High School and Y Street Youth Leader. “Because of the hydration stations, I think I drink a lot more water during the day.”

About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

Shenandoah, VA (October 28, 2021) – This week, Virginia park recreation experts and leaders from across the commonwealth gathered in Harrisonburg for the 2021 Virginia Recreation & Park Society‘s (VRPS) Annual Conference. Amidst the three days of presentations, exhibit halls, and networking opportunities was one of Shenandoah’s own high school students, Cheyenne Estep, advocating for healthier outdoor public spaces for all Virginians.

Central High School senior and Y Street youth member Cheyenne Estep presented on establishing and sustaining tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free parklands as a deliberate effort to create healthier outdoor experiences for Virginians and raise awareness on the harms of secondhand smoke and vape aerosol. Y Street youth members like Cheyenne strive to make sure Virginians have equitable access to clean and healthy spaces to be active and enjoy the outdoors.

One way they do that is by rallying their communities behind the Share The Air campaign. Share The Air aims to create 100% tobacco-free parklands and public spaces by urging parks and recreation directors and other local government officials to adopt voluntary policies that promote tobacco-free, smoke-free, and vapor-free outdoor environments.

“Speaking at the VRPS Annual Conference was a great opportunity to share my experiences with parks and recreation directors from across the state,” Cheyenne stated. “It’s important to me and my peers that parks, public spaces, and events promote healthy lifestyles, and that’s why I hope more parks departments decide to partner with Share The Air.”

The Town of Shenandoah has already started taking necessary steps by creating Tobacco-Free Play Zones and partnering with Share The Air. In January 2021, Shenandoah’s Mayor Clinton Lucas, Jr. signed the Share The Air commitment form, committing the city to provide tobacco-free and vape-free parklands, park facilities, and open public spaces.

Y Street is the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) statewide volunteer initiative for high school students. VFHY Executive Director Marty Kilgore thanked Cheyenne and other Y Street youth for their continued advocacy throughout the commonwealth as they work towards healthier outdoor public spaces for their communities. “The advocacy work that Cheyenne and her Y Street peers are doing is critical in empowering youth to make healthy choices and I commend the initiative and leadership Y Street’s youth members demonstrate every day in their communities across Virginia.”

About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. 

VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

Hello, Everyone! My name is Tanaeya and I am a senior at Hopewell High School. I have been in Y Street for three years, and on the Y Street Leadership Team (YSLT) for two years.

At the YSLT Mid-Year Summit that was held in January, I was able to do something I never expected to do: train other youth leaders. Since this is my second year on the YSLT, my job was to inform everyone about the Rev Your Bev campaign. I was excited to do this because I have personally been involved in past Rev Your Bev activities and this is my favorite campaign! I was able to teach my peers about the importance of increasing water access in their schools and educating school administrators about the campaign’s policy. I was very excited to see such great participation and positivity and amazed by the feedback everyone shared.

My favorite part of all was the Networking Session. It was very interactive and engaging! I felt that I was able to actually get to know everyone. It was awesome to be able to give new leadership team members advice about future Y Street events, encouraging them to participate as much as they want.

My goals for Y Street this year are to be more active than I was last year, bond more with fellow members, and do more key decision-maker (KDM) and legislator meetings. The KDM and legislator meetings I have participated in so far were great, and I would love to gain more experience. Last year, unfortunately, I was very busy and I didn’t get to participate as much as I wanted to. Since this is my senior year, I have to make the best of the last.

It’s not too late to join! Go NOW to ystreet.org to get trained and join the #YStreetMovement. 

Hi there! My name is Victoria and I am a junior at Granby High School. I have been a part of Y Street for two years now and on the Leadership Team for one year. Today I’m here to share why Y Street is important to me and why I love being a part of this impactful, inspiring group of individuals.

Here at Y Street, we care about the health of Virginia youth. Through our two campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share The Air, we are working to reach our goal of creating healthy change in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Rev Your Bev campaign aims to increase the promotion of and access to water in Virginia schools. The Share The Air campaign is working to make outdoor recreational areas tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free.

Our campaigns here at Y Street are important to me because the health and well-being of my peers and community is something that I place great importance upon. Through these campaigns, our voices as a youth-led organization are helping to improve the overall health of Virginia youth. From my efforts, such as being on the Leadership Team and representing my school or speaking with key decision-makers, I hope to be a part of that change in educating others on these important issues. 

If you’re interested in joining Y Street, go NOW to ystreet.org.

Hello, my name is Alena and I am in 10th grade. I go to Manor High School and this is my first year in Y Street. Before becoming a member, we are trained on Y Street. The most amazing thing I learned about Y Street is that the program has many achievements. It is an award-winning volunteer initiative and has been recognized in the CDC’s Best Practices User Guide for Youth Engagement in Tobacco Prevention and Control! 

We were also trained on Y Street’s campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share The Air. The Rev Your Bev campaign helps kids and adults make water their first choice of a beverage. The Share The Air campaign advocates for outdoor public areas across Virginia to be tobacco-free, smoke-free, and vapor-free. What I enjoyed most about the training was learning about all the cool things that we can do to educate our communities about the campaigns like hosting a Rev Your Bev event during lunch to tell people about the goals of the campaign and ask them to complete a survey while disseminating fun Rev Your Bev swag.  

Now that I’m a fully activated Y Street member, I’m excited to host events to collect as many Rev Your Bev and Share The Air surveys and support cards as possible. I also am looking forward to earning volunteer hours and rewards.

Are you interested in joining? Go NOW to my.ystreet.org/apply to join the #YStreetMovement. 

Oh hey there! My name is Mariz and I’m a junior Tiger at J.R. Tucker High School. This is my first year with Y Street and it’s already enjoyable. Y Street is a youth-led movement that is working to make Virginia healthier for all of us. Becoming a member has lots of great opportunities, one of them is the training, which was my favorite.

Through online modules, we learn about the program’s current campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share The Air, and how to be an effective advocate. Then comes the part where we apply what we have learned by asking friends and family to complete the campaigns’ surveys and support cards. This helps us to practice what we are going to do once we become an official member.

One of the facts that I found interesting about Y Street is that we have members across Virginia helping to raise public awareness about the campaigns and encouraging more youth to join the movement. This is what I’m most excited about: to spread campaign awareness in my school and community!

My goal as a fully active member of Y Street is to help increase water access in all Virginia schools and protect Virginians and our outdoor public spaces from secondhand smoke and vape aerosol, the two most important reasons that keep us alive.

Interested in joining? Go NOW to my.ystreet.org/apply to get trained and join the #YStreetMovement.

Hello to all our readers! My name is Nileigha. I am in the 10th grade at Manor High School, and this is my first year being part of Y Street. Though I have not been a part of the program for very long, I assure you I have learned so much in such a short amount of time and would love to share my experience.

I found out about this program when a Y Street Youth Field Organizer (YFO) came to Manor and did a presentation about what it entailed. I knew very quickly that I wanted to be a part of the program. Once I signed up, training started pretty quickly. It started with a Training Kick-off on Zoom that provided more information about the program such as scholarships and rewards offered, how to set goals, and current opportunities. I was also introduced to the Y Street member website – which helps me set and keep track of my goals, get in contact with the YFOs, and easily stay informed about upcoming opportunities. This site really helps me stay organized. Training also included collecting Share The Air and Rev Your Bev surveys. I collected so many just from asking friends and family. Once I completed the modules and training project I was officially a Y Street member and attended a Welcome session with my other Y Street peers. I got my account set up on ystreet.org and was ready to begin my Y Street journey.

What I enjoyed most about the training was that it was not only quick and easy but it was also very detailed; I didn’t feel rushed at all. During the process, I also learned so much more about the program and its campaigns, Rev Your Bev and Share The Air, and what it all represents. Share The Air advocates for smoke-free, vapor-free, and tobacco-free outdoor spaces. I really appreciated and connected with the campaign because I have family members that have asthma and secondhand smoke is a trigger for asthma. Rev Your Bev encourages students to drink water. As a person that did not enjoy drinking water, this campaign taught me the benefits of drinking water and provided enjoyable tips to help me make it a habit, which I can’t wait to share with others.

I am really happy with my decision to be a part of this program and can’t wait to get more active in my community. I want to participate in community events and get as many other friends involved as I can.

Interested in joining Y Street? Go NOW to ystreet.org! 

Hello, my name is Jessica. I’m a junior from Manor High School, and this is my first year in Y Street and my first year on the Leadership Team. Each year in January is Healthy Youth Day. Team members meet with their state legislators to share the important work that Y Street is doing to promote a healthier Virginia. This year, I met with three of my representatives to discuss our campaigns,  Rev Your Bev and Share The Air, and I would like to share my experience with you all!

My experience was memorable, heartwarming, and inspiring! Initially, I was nervous since I thought I would be alone. However, I was accompanied by my Youth Field Organizer (Daniel), another Leadership Team member from Greensville County (Felecia), and a representative from the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. They all were incredibly supportive. Rather than a presentation, these meetings felt like conversations with equals who care about your input. In meeting with Senator Lucas, Senator Cosgrove, and Delegate Scott I was delighted by their welcoming and positive personalities, and I found common ground with each of them.

I will never forget this experience, and I encourage other Y Street members to participate in key decision-maker meetings; you will have no regrets later on. These meetings are important because we, as a youth-led group, are not only given the opportunity to improve our public speaking skills but influence change within our communities.

To learn more about Y Street, head to ystreet.org.

Hello, my name is Nautica. I am a senior at Granby High School, and I’ve been a part of Y Street for two years. The first thing I did when I became interested in becoming a member was attend a Training Kickoff. It was a nice introduction to what Y Street is about and how to become an activated member. Becoming a member entails completing an online training and training project. The online training teaches us about the campaign issues and goals we seek to accomplish and provides us with the opportunity to practice what we have learned. The training project involved me asking friends and family to fill out support cards for the Rev Your Bev and Share The Air campaigns. After that, I officially became a member and I was able to attend the Welcome Session.

I really liked how interactive the online modules were! The modules were not just paragraphs of information, but rather they included images and diagrams that made the training enjoyable for a visual learner like I am. While completing the modules, I learned that Y Street’s 24/7 VA campaign played a huge role in the passing of the 100% Comprehensive Tobacco-Free and E-Cigarette-Free Schools bill. This achievement made me realize the capability and potential of youth in Virginia.

Now that I am a member of Y Street I am excited to be a small part of a large youth-led movement! This year, I hope to attend events to raise awareness about Share The Air and Rev Your Bev.

Interested in joining? Go NOW to ystreet.org to get trained and join the #YStreetMovement!