Tobacco-Free Community Recreation

The Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Initiative provides technical assistance and resources to community recreation departments and other community youth programs for the development of policies that promote tobacco-free environments for youth who use their facilities and are involved in their various programs.

This initiative was established in response to the following facts:

• The Tobacco Industry spends $14 million every day marketing their deadly products to children.

• More than 90% of adult smokers began smoking when they were teenagers.

• 8500 Maine kids (under 18) try cigarettes for the first time each year

• 3,800 Maine kids (under 18) become new, regular, daily smokers every year.

• One in five Maine high school students use tobacco products and 33% more think they will be using tobacco within the next year.

• Next to a parent, a coach is one of the most influential people in a young person’s life.

The Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Initiative is intended to provide local health advocates, municipal officials, recreation department board members, and recreation staff with the tools to develop comprehensive tobacco-free policies for local recreation programs. Community recreation policies that send strong, clear, and consistent tobacco-free messages can play an important role in preventing youth from starting to use tobacco. The manual provides information and support for developing policies that support tobacco-free community recreation.

Also included in the manual:

• Information about why tobacco-free policy is an important tool in prevention of tobacco use by youth

• PTM recommendations for comprehensive tobacco-free policies

• Examples of how Maine communities have developed tobacco-free recreation policies

• A step-by-step guide to help communities assess, develop, present, implement and maintain a tobacco-free community recreation policy

• How to support the compliance to a tobacco-free policy in a positive way

• Presentation materials

• Resources

• Information about how to obtain no cost tobacco-free signage

Developing Policies that Support Tobacco-Free Community Recreation Manual:

Section 1 – Background

Section 2 – Real Maine Examples

Section 3 – Action Steps

Section 4 – Presentation Materials
PowerPoint Presentation

Section 5 – Resources

Section 6 – Support Materials