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Press releases
Arpil 20 2007 Anti-Smoking Youth Groups take on Multi-National Tobacco Giant Two Liverpool youth groups are set to take on British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the world's biggest cigarette makers, at their AGM in London this week (April 26 th). D-MYST and ATYC (Anti Tobacco Youth Campaign) are lending their support to fellow health charity Action on Smoking and Health ( ASH ), to demonstrate outside the AGM venue to raise awareness about how BAT promotes its brands to young people across the world. BAT claims it only targets tobacco products to young people over 18. However, members of both youth groups are wise to the company’s marketing ploys. The young activists will be using a series of hard-hitting guerrilla tactics to highlight the work of BAT including a tobacco branded ice-cream van serving black tar ice-cream plus a funeral procession with floral tributes. ASH will also be launching ‘You’ve got to be kidding’, a report that details findings of how BAT recruits young smokers, on the morning of the AGM, which takes place at the Mermaid Conference Centre from 10.30am. D-MYST (Direct Movement by the Youth SmokeFree Team) member, Danielle Owens, said: “We are so excited to have the opportunity to voice our opinions directly to BAT about how they target us everyday. "We know they think of us as replacement smokers for their current customers and want them to start thinking about what they are doing.” ATYC member Charly Southern (16) said: "This is a great opportunity to let the tobacco companies know what we really think about their underhand tactics." Fellow ATYC member Jake Cureton (16) commented: “We’ve got some great plans to spoil the BAT AGM. They (BAT) thinks they’re being clever in the way they target young people but they’ve got the approach all wrong.” To get involved and have your say, log onto www.d-myst.info and www.roycastle.org/atyc ENDS Media enquiries: For D-MYST, contact Eilidh Robertson on 07966068936 or eilidh@kenyons.co.uk For ATYC interview opportunities, contact Chris Dolan on 0161 238 9424 / 07770 886 919 / cdolan@webershandwick.com NOTES TO EDITOR D-MYST (Direct Movement by the Youth Smokefree Team) ATYC (Anti-Tobacco Youth Campaign) ATYC is backed by The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, and is supported by Big Lottery funding. The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only charity in the UK wholly dedicated to defeating lung cancer. The Foundation also runs a children’s website called KATS (Kids Against Tobacco Smoke) which aims to educate children about the dangers of smoking in order to help them come to a personal decision not to smoke. To get involved and have your say, log on to www.roycastle.org/atyc |