My name is Rhys, and I am a sophomore at Los Lunas High School. I have been part of Evolvement for two years, and on the leadership team for one. No Minor Sale is a campaign where we educate community members about the dangers of flavored nicotine products. I am writing about Day at the Capitol, which is the day where we go to the State Capitol and educate legislators about Evolvement and the campaigns, in hopes of getting support from them.

During the day, we met with legislators in their offices and even in the hallway. I was able to speak to Representatives Ferrary and Martinez. I shared about No Minor Sale by showing them our slideshow and presenting information about our campaign. The legislators responded well and were all very interested. It is important to educate legislators about flavored nicotine restriction because they are the policymakers in New Mexico, and having their support would make a big difference. If they understand how important it is to reduce the sale of nicotine products to minors, it can influence their decisions.

It is important to get involved in something like this because it builds great public speaking skills, leadership experience, and of course, it is for a great cause. It creates positive change because it is good for the community, especially if we continue to get more and more support.

My experience was fun. We were running around looking for and meeting with legislators which was a lot easier than I had anticipated. They were all very nice, interested, and easygoing. This supports and benefits No Minor Sale because we are able to educate more people and get our message out to policymakers in New Mexico. From attending these meetings, I learned to be flexible and just go with the flow, because legislators aren’t always able to meet with us.

I attended Day at the Capitol with a hope to reduce the sale of nicotine products to minors, especially flavored ones. It is important to support policies that protect youth because we are the future of the world, and we need to be healthy and safe. With every person helping, from members of Evolvement to the legislators allowing us to present to them, it makes a difference!

Hi, my name is Illuminata. I am a junior at Eldorado High School and this is my 3rd year in Evolvement and on the Leadership team. Evolvement is a youth-led movement focused on promoting healthier communities. Evolvement's No Minor Sale campaign specifically targets the issue of commercial tobacco and nicotine retail practices to ensure that the health of young people is prioritized over industry profits.

The primary goal of this campaign is to educate the public and policymakers about how the tobacco industry uses flavored products and strategic marketing to appeal to youth. The campaign advocates for policies that reduce youth access to these products, such as restricting flavored products, encouraging stricter compliance of age-of-sale laws, and raising awareness about the long-term health impacts of nicotine addiction on the developing brain.

One way I help advocate for these policies is at an event called Day at the Capitol. During Day at the Capitol, Evolvement members try to educate the community, senators, and representatives about the dangers of tobacco and Evolvement's campaigns. The day before we go to the Capitol, we get to meet up with other Evolvement students from around the state to have dinner together. Then, we attend training sessions at our hotel to go over campaign details and practice our presentation.

The following day, we're up early to eat breakfast and head to the Capitol. Throughout the day, we meet with legislators, share our presentation, and answer questions. Though we can't lobby for a specific bill, we can advocate for policies that help to protect youth like flavor restriction, and educate lawmakers to gain support and protect funding for our program. At the end of the day we write thank you notes to all the legislators we met with to share our gratitude for their time.

Evolvement's Day at the Capitol is a great experience! Not only do I get to work on something I believe in, but I also get to improve my skills in public speaking, networking, and advocating. I would encourage all high school students in the Evolvement Program who care about public health to join us next year!

Hi! My name is Paiuma, and I attend Arrowhead Park Early College High School, where I am currently a senior. I’ve been involved with Evolvement for three years and have been on the leadership team for two years. Evolvement focuses on two main campaigns, No Minor Sale and 24/7, but today I will be talking about No Minor Sale and Day at the Capitol.

No Minor Sale focuses on reducing the sale of nicotine and tobacco products to minors. Many nicotine products come in appealing flavors that can easily attract our youth and can lead to addiction, and our goal is to eliminate these flavored products to protect our youth. During Day at the Capitol, our leadership team traveled to Santa Fe to meet with state legislators and other leaders to educate them about our work and advocate for stronger protections for youth. During this event, I partnered with another Evolvement member, Christiana, and together we met with several leaders, including Senator Natalie Figueroa, Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, Senator Brantley, Senator Gabriel Ramos, and Senator Carrie Hamblen. We talked about how flavored nicotine products can be addictive and why it is important to prevent youth access to these products. We also advocated for more funding so that we can present to middle and elementary schools and teach younger students early about the harmful effects they can have on one's body.

At the Capitol, I really enjoyed speaking with all the leaders, and I especially enjoyed meeting with Senator Natalie Figueroa because she was very supportive and genuinely engaged in our work. I was also very inspired by Senator Carrie Hamblen, who encouraged Christiana and me to consider being involved in politics because our voices matter as women, and we are just as capable of creating change as a man would be.

During my time at the Capitol, the biggest thing I took away from this experience is that youth advocacy can truly make a difference; being young gives us the opportunity to make legislators actually listen to what we have to say, and having support from lawmakers can help expand our program, increase awareness, and reach more youth with education about the dangers of nicotine and tobacco products. After meeting with the state legislators, I realized how fast-paced and challenging their work can be, which gave me more respect for the process. Overall, this experience means a lot to me because I care deeply about my community and want to spread awareness to the younger generation!