Background and context: In 2013, Dutch society was polarized on the tobacco topic. Sense of urgency was low among most stakeholders. Therefore, the Dutch Cancer Society, Heart and Lung foundations created a coalition with a mutual goal and joined efforts in realizing it. The common strategy resulted in a stepwise roadmap toward a smoke-free generation. According to their capacities and fields of interests, coalition partners were allocated subthemes to focus on as part of the one common overall strategy. In addition new coalition partners were sought and found among stakeholders in sectors with high influence on society and politics with respect to the main priorities following from the roadmap. In this way, the smoke-free movement grows like a rolling snowball. Aim: To realize a smoke-free generation by 2035 by working together. Strategy/Tactics: By striving for a smoke-free generation, we are protecting youth against tobacco. We aim for a society in which parents of children born from now onward will be able to raise them without any exposure to tobacco smoke and the temptation to start smoking. So that they never decide to start smoking. We developed a roadmap toward the smoke-free generation that holds a low threshold for people to start participating and is positively framed. It's consistent with all political colors, takes away polarization and opens conversation. This presentation will discuss the basic principles of the frame, the stepwise roadmap and the instruments we use to achieve our goal: lobby, communication and stakeholders activation, including the results of our approach. And we will show practical examples of how a rapid growing number of parties contribute, such as playgrounds, sports clubs and hospitals that become smoke-free and local governments. Program/Policy process: A roadmap toward a smoke-free generation was created and the efforts of the 3 NGOs were combined to become more effective and efficient in realizing the goal together. Outcomes: More than 100 organization are working together toward a smoke-free generation, environments where children recreate/are are becoming smoke free, the % of smokers is declining, the government is taking its responsibility, the support from society for tobacco control is increasing, and tobacco has been reframed into a positive movement. What was learned: A mutual goal works, positive framing leads to more and more partners that work toward the smoke-free generation and it is possible to turn a negative or neutral tobacco control climate into a climate that is more positive toward effective tobacco control.
In-school tobacco control leadership programme for adolescents: A route to tobacco free generation
