February 11, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Statehouse, Montpelier.
Registration for interested schools and youth groups is now open! Youth do not need to be part of an active OVX group to participate.
Community members and supporters of Youth Voice are welcome to join Vermont’s youth during any part of this event!
This event provides youth with a unique platform to use their voices to educate and inform their peers, key decision-makers, and fellow Vermonters on how tobacco and nicotine products negatively impact their schools and communities. Youth can share their lived experiences and be part of a powerful and collective force for positive change within the state. If you have a youth interested in speaking, please let contact event organizer Liza Comiskey at [email protected].
Youth will have the opportunity to provide Committee Testimony before a Legislative Committee and meet with local representatives while at the Statehouse. Lawmakers will hear directly from the youth within their district about the issues impacting them.
Youth will also attend a Town Hall with Attorney General Charity Clark about what they are seeing and experiencing with tobacco and nicotine products in their schools and communities. For years before she became Attorney General, AG Clark worked on tobacco issues related to the largest consumer protection settlement in American history – the Master Settlement Agreement – which holds tobacco companies accountable for the harms they have caused generations of Americans through unfair and deceptive marketing practices. Since becoming Attorney General, she has listened to parents, teachers, and students, and addressing the youth vaping crisis is one of her priorities.
Schedule of Events
9:00 a.m.| Pre-Rally Gathering & Check-in | Unitarian Church of Montpelier
9:50 a.m.| March to Statehouse |Main Street to the State House at 115 State Street
10:00 a.m.| Youth Statehouse Rally – Youth from around the state will share their personal stories and highlight how tobacco products are entering schools and negatively impacting the learning environment, school culture, and their peers.
10:30 a.m.| Group Photo on the Statehouse Steps
10:45 a.m. –11:15 a.m.| Youth Town Hall with Attorney General Clark
11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.| Lunch for Students & Departure
*The snow date for this event is February 13. The schedule may shift slightly if the snow date is utilized.