Playing Tobacco Free: Helping Your Community Adopt a Tobacco-Free Policy for its Parks, Playgrounds, a

1. Playing Tobacco Free: Helping Your Community Adopt a Tobacco-Free Policy for its Parks, Playgrounds, and Athletic Facilities Brittany McFadden Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation program, Association for NonSmokers—Minnesota

2. Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Overview • Minnesota-based statewide program of the Association for Nonsmokers—Minnesota • Funded by MN Dept. of Health to provide training, technical assistance, and materials to local MDH grantees and other advocates working on tobacco-free park and recreation policy initiatives in Minnesota

3. Evidence Supporting Our Recommendations • The Surgeon General’s Report (1994) and CDC recommend that communities adopt smoke-free policies as a strategy to prevent youth smoking • Park Policies Lay the Foundation for Future Local Policy Work • Build relationships with policy makers • Engage community members in policy discussions • Build momentum for worksite/public places ordinances • Change community norms

4. Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free Park Policies January 2003

5. Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free Park Policies February 2004

6. Minnesota Cities with Tobacco-Free Park Policies June 2006

7. Twin Cities Metro Cities with Tobacco-Free Park Policies June 2006

8. TFYR Successes • 81 city & 2 county policies since 2001 • 2 cities have included their golf courses • Created a domino effect • Signs are becoming recognizable from city to city • More cities are considering policies • Unique niche of policy work

9. Why are communities working on park policies? • Help change social norms about tobacco use • Ensure that participants and spectators are not exposed to secondhand smoke • Promote positive role modeling • Involve youth and community members in advocacy • Reduce harmful cigarette litter

10. Minnesotans support tobacco-free park policies • Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study carried out by the University of Minnesota in summer of 2004 • Survey mailed to 2,400 adults from metro and greater MN • 1,500 surveys returned • Results: • 70% of Minnesota adults support tobacco-free park and recreation areas • 66% of golfers support these policies • 73% of families with children support these policies

11. U of MN Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study Minnesota park directors’ observations after implementing policies: • 88% reported no change in park usage (no loss of park users) • 71% reported less smoking in parks • 58% reported cleaner park areas

12. U of MN Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study • Communities without policies have enforcement concerns Of the MN Park Directors surveyed: • 73% concerned about whether there should be penalties • 90% concerned about enforcement • 49% concerned with lack public of interest

13. U of MN Tobacco-Free Park & Recreation Study • Enforcement concerns are unfounded where policies are in place Of the MN Park Directors surveyed: • 26% reported compliance issues • 24% reported staff concerns about enforcement • 39% reported difficulty monitoring areas covered by the policy

14. How are these policies enforced? • Similar to other park policies, such as alcohol and litter policies, primary enforcement is with signs. • Most communities do not ask their police to actively patrol the parks. Instead, they rely on peer enforcement among park users. • Community awareness through policy manuals, newsletters, and local media. • Reminders at coaches’ or parents’ meetings, or signed statements from teams, participants, coaches, and parents. • Each department’s requirements vary – but some departments ask violators to leave the park area for the remainder of the event.

15. Policy Initiative Process

16. TFYR’s Policy Advocacy Handbook • Developed in 2002 • Focuses on park policies • Available online: • www.ansrmn.org/TFYR03Resources.htm

17. Involving Youth Advocates • Hands-on project that usually gets positive results • Youth are natural advocates since they are the regular park users • Youth gain experience in local government and public speaking • Opportunity to gain volunteer hours/improve college applications

18. Five Major Steps for Success • Assess your community • Create your policy request • Build support for your policy • Plan your presentation • Thank & Promote!

19. Mobilize Your Coalition(Steps 1-2) • Assess your group’s readiness • Attend TFYR’s policy initiative training • Youth training packet

20. Assess the Community(Steps 3-6) • Determine who makes the decisions • Inventory the community’s recreational facilities • Gauge community support • Develop your policy request

21. Build Policy Support(Steps 7-10) • Ask community members to support your policy request • Brochures • Sample letters of support & petitions • TFYR portable display • Collect cigarette litter as evidence • Capitalize on media advocacy • Find a champion from the Park & Rec staff • Hold informal discussions with policy makers

22. Assist with Policy Adoption(Steps 11-16) • Get on the agenda of Park Board or City Council meeting • Plan your presentation & prepare speakers • TFYR powerpoint • Policy Maker’s Guide • Present policy request and evidence • Assist in policy development • Continue building support • Attend remaining public hearings

23. Life after Policy Adoption(Steps 17-18) • Assist with policy implementation • Tobacco-free park signs • Policy publicity packet • Thank you postcards • Look for opportunities to promote the tobacco-free message

24. Sample Media Coverage

25. Sample Media Coverage

26. Sample Media Coverage

27. Educational Ads

28. Educational Ads

29. TFYR Publicity Materials • Signs • Ads • News releases • Display • Postcards • Banners • Pledges • Posters

30. “Thank You” Postcard

31. TFYR Policy Resources • PowerPoint/overhead presentation for board and city council meetings • Policy Maker’s Guide to Tobacco- Free Policies for Recreational Facilities • Model policy for city-owned recreational facilities • Metal signs for Minnesota cities

32. Contact Information Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Brittany McFadden Association for Nonsmokers-MN 2395 University Ave West, Suite 310 St. Paul, MN 55114-1512 (651) 646-3005; bhm@ansrmn.org www.ansrmn.org