Kane County youths will be marking KICK BUTTS Day, Wednesday, March 18, by promoting this year’s theme of “I am not a replacement,” a reference to the tobacco companies’ practice of marketing their products to children to replace customers who have died.

The campaign is encouraging youths across the country to take a selfie and post it using the hashtag #NotAReplacement!”

In Kane County, members of Elgin’s Youth Leadership Academy will appear before the Elgin City Council on Wednesday to seek support for a Smoke-Free Parks policy. The YLA meets twice a month on Saturday’s to teach youth the leadership skills they’ll need as adults. The youths’ parents also participate. By staying in the program from seventh grade through the 12^th grade, the participants receive a scholarship to attend Elgin Community College.

The YLA, along with the Bridging the Gap East Aurora Snowball group and the St. Charles Park District’s Underground Youth Group, all take part in the anti-smoking efforts of Reality Kane, which is part of the larger, statewide program of REALITY Illinois.

REALITY Illinois is an in-your-face, stand-up-and-shout, not-taking-it-anymore anti-tobacco movement created by and for Illinois teens. With some help from the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments, REALITY Illinois is spreading the word about tobacco industry manipulation, second-hand smoke and tobacco use to everyone in the state.

To learn of other anti-smoking activities in Kane County, please visit the Reality Kane Facebook page, Twitter page or EnjoyGram page.

For more information about Reality Kane, and the Kane County Health Department’s tobacco program, please visit this page on the Kane County Health Department website. More information about Kick Butts Day is available by visiting www.kickbuttsday.org.

SOURCE: Kane County Health Department