Notecard-sized nametags hung around each neck of the almost 700 teens visiting the ISU campus for the Just Eliminate Lies (JEL) youth summit July 15—17. The nametags hung on the ends of red shoelace-type strings, each with the JEL logo printed in white over and over along the string.

Almost every teen also carried or wore black and gray backpacks with the red JEL logo emblazoned on the front. They passed out stickers, carried notepads, and some wore T-shirts with the JEL logo in full view. There was no question what group the teens belonged to.

According to the group’s Web site, www.jeliowa.org, the JEL program is administered by the Iowa Department of Public Health Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control as part of the state’s program to reduce tobacco use.

Katie Hard, a junior executive council member of JEL and a recent graduate of Burlington High School in Burlington, has three goals she wants to accomplish with JEL.

“If one person doesn’t smoke because of [the summit], it would all be worthwhile,” Hard said. “I also want the tobacco tax to be raised and for the state to increase our funding.”

Hard said JEL’s funding in the past year has been cut from $9.3 million to $4.9 million.

In a session titled “Local Policies,” teens discussed clean indoor air policies.

“We want to make your school 100 percent tobacco free,” said Kyle Frette, a junior executive council member and recent graduate of Roland-Story High School in Story City.

During the session, teens discussed how to lobby their schools for a zero-tolerance tobacco policy.

A zero-tolerance policy forbids all students, school faculty and anyone at a school function, such as a football game, to use tobacco, Frette said. This includes students of legal age because it also applies to school functions and is not limited to regular school hours.

At the “Media Advocacy” session, the speaker encouraged students to use different channels to get JEL’s anti-tobacco message out.

The speaker advised the teens to get their message on TV and to write letters to newspaper editors and legislators. Other ways to get the JEL message out are by holding an event or plastering their towns with signs, the speaker said.

Teens at the youth summit said they felt they were making a difference by being there.

“I want to help [people who smoke] be more aware of the dangers,” said Josie Keller, from Burlington.

Angela Kuntz, from Mediapolis, agreed smokers may not have all the available information.

“[Someone who smokes] might not know everything,” Kuntz said. “If someone is really behind them, they might be more likely to quit.”

Before eating dinner, the teens gathered in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union to make posters for a march.

“Remember to wear your red shirts tomorrow,” a JEL leader called out. “And remember to include something about second-hand smoke on each poster!”