Description:

The Community Partnership Project is made up of a variety of community-based organizations providing services to all population in Hunterdon County,  Each of the partner organizations possess different areas of expertise therefore establishing a comprehensive approach to all issues surrounding tobacco use, abuse, health concerns, and disease.

Community Partners include Hospitals, Health Departments, Municipal Alliance, Churches, Business and Community Leaders. 

Goals:

1. Increase the number of people who start and complete treatment for nicotine dependence.
2. Decrease the acceptability of tobacco use among all people
3. Decrease the number of youth under 18 and young adults 18-24 who start smoking
4. Decrease involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke (both legally and socially
5. Reduce tobacco use among different population groups.

The Community Partnerships promote tobacco education and prevention services and the New Jersey Quitline and Quitnet Services.

Part of Hunterdon Prevention Resources’ work is in tobacco prevention through state-sponsored programs called REBEL and REBEL 2. REBEL is designed for high school students and REBEL 2 is a curriculum based, peer teaching model for middle school students. Both groups hope to decrease social acceptability of tobacco and prevent others from using.

REBEL is a group of teens dedicated to educating peers, middle and elementary school children, and other members of the community about the dangers of tobacco use. New Jersey REBEL is a statewide youth-led anti-tobacco movement organized with chapters in all 21 counties through the Communities Against Tobacco coalitions and in 76 New Jersey high schools. Each county or school chapter has an adult coordinator or advisor who assists in developing activities and helps locate resources to carry out the group's plans.

REBEL means R eaching E veryone B y E xposing L ies. One of the tasks at New Jersey 's first Kick Ash Weekend in November 2000 was to come up with a name, and everyone loved "REBEL." It means to resist or defy established convention, making it a very appropriate choice!

Each year, 19,700 New Jersey teens under 18 become daily smokers - that's 54 teens a day! Currently, 24.5% percent of New Jersey high school students use tobacco. In their memos, one of the tobacco companies called teens "replacement smokers." They are replacements for the ones that die. Hunterdon Prevention has received grant money from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services to give $2,000 to 15 schools in Hunterdon County . The grant money is used to pay the school based REBEL advisors and to purchase supplies and materials that support school and county wide activities during the year.

We at Hunterdon Prevention Resources are excited about the possibility of decreasing and preventing tobacco use among teens and adults through these state-sponsored programs! In fact, it is already working. In the years since the grant began, 89.1% of Hunterdon County now does not use tobacco products!