8 months ago
Native Americans from across Georgia gathered in Hawkinsville to warn young people about the dangers of tobacco in the Native American Indian Youth Anti-Tobacco Summit.
It's a three-day event that started Tuesday and runs through Thursday at noon. The goal of the summit is to teach children from an early age how harmful tobacco can be, while preserving its traditional uses, like during religious ceremonies or for medicinal purposes.
Lance Allrunner, with the Native American Cancer Research Corporation says tobacco products people buy in the store is different from tobacco used for traditional reasons. He says commercial tobacco has more toxins. He wants to see more young people working to make positive changes.
"Teach our young people about the traditional values being with the state people around policy-making. That's a big part of what we want young people here to understand," said Allrunner.
16 year-old Karissa Bedell of Perry, Florida attended the summit. She says she sees teens smoking and doing other drugs, but she doesn't understand it. She hope she can take what she learns at the summit, and show others the way.
"Maybe it can open somebody's eyes and let them say, 'Hey, wait a minute.. What am I doing?,'" said Bedell.
That's exactly what organizer Dewey Painter wants to see.
"The desire here is to educate these young people to become ambassadors who go back and educate other young people. Nobody can talk to a teen like another teen," said Painter.
The event, which focuses on Native American youth, is open to all kids from ages 13 - 21. Painter says it's the perfect age to try and reach.
"It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, but it's easier to teach a young one so lets get with our young people and try and educate them and let them see the danger of what they're doing to their bodies and let them make the choice. You can't drive them, let just educate them and hope they make the right choice."
The group has camped out in tents, learned about Native American traditions, and made crafts.
The summit is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Resources, the Southeastern Inter-Tribal Council of American Indian Elders, the American Indian Cancer Association of Denver, Colorado, Mission Harvest America & the Youth Advisory Council from Whigham, GA.
This is the first time the groups have held the event. Painter says they choose Hawkinsville because of Muskogee Creek Indian history in Pulaski County.
