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The first deadline for the TSET Successful Futures Program, grants for youth development programs, is September 2.
TSET seeks to partner with organizations providing character-building education to strengthen leadership and decision-making skills for young Oklahomans in grades three through eight.
Healthy habits learned early last into adulthood, and investments in helping young people have confidence in healthy choices supports TSET’s mission of preventing and reducing tobacco use and obesity.
Institutions of common and higher education, public entities, 501 (c)(3) non-profit organizations and tribal entities are invited to apply. Applicants must have programs that service multiple organizations or sites.
Up to $1 million of funding per year is available through this opportunity over a four and half year period, depending upon funding availability.
TSET held a series of listening and idea sessions across the state this month to better understand rural community needs relating to health and generate ideas for improving health.
The goal for the listening sessions was to engage diverse stakeholders in rural and underserved areas to better understand local health needs.
Idea sessions, which followed the listening sessions, sought creative solutions for improving health in Oklahoma.
Information from the sessions will help inform the development of future opportunities as TSET seeks to meet its constitutional mandate of funding programs to prevent and reduce tobacco use and improve the health of all Oklahomans.
Sessions were held in Guymon, Woodward, Elk City, McAlester, Idabel and Pawhuska.
Nine organizations across the state signed on as partners with CounterAct Tobacco, a youth-driven program working toward a tobacco-free future.
High school students who are members of Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL), a program funded by the TSET, presented to community organizations and encouraged them to join.
“It’s exciting to see the passion in our youth who are working towards the same goals and outcomes as people more than twice their age,” said Erin Bolin, TSET Healthy Living Program coordinator in Garvin County.
“These students see firsthand how tobacco is impacting their peers, and they are advocating to make a difference. It is an honor to collaborate with these young adults who are taking action to create change and create awareness.”
Becoming a partner indicates the organization’s support for CounterAct Tobacco’s goals to license e-cigarette, vape, and retailers of emerging nicotine-only products.
Perspective: Julie Bisbee in The Journal Record
Employees, businesses and the state as a whole benefit from laws that encourage healthy lifestyles by reducing tobacco use and promoting nutrition and physical activity. In Oklahoma, passing universal smokefree laws would lead to a healthier workforce and economy.
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Efforts are underway within communities of all sizes to make them more walkable.
In episode 29 of the TSET Healthy Living Podcast, TSET spoke with Ron Frantz and Shane Hampton of the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities, former Tonkawa Elementary School Principal Kelly Martin and TSET Healthy Living Program Coordinator Doug Walton to discuss how communities are improving their built environment and profiting from increased foot traffic.
"People want to have a walkable commercial district in their own community and they like to travel to visit successful places all over the state," said Hampton.
"A lot of communities want to see that their main street thrives. Main streets that are walkable and well cared for are a great environment for locally owned businesses in particular."
Available on TSET's website and everywhere podcasts are listened to: Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, PodBean, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts.
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