ABOUT REBEL2

 

REBEL – Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lies – is New Jersey’s youth-led anti-tobacco movement. REBEL2 reaches across an age continuum starting in middle school with REBEL 2, continuing in high school with the core movement, REBEL2, and extending through college with REBEL U.

 

Our mission is to educate and empower New Jersey’s youth to make healthy lifestyle decisions and support non-smoking norms. 

 

340 teens started REBEL2 at the “Kick Ash Bash” in November of 2000.  Since then we’ve grown to include chapters in all 21 counties and 77 New Jersey high schools. 

 

Tobacco companies spent $336.6 million marketing to New Jersey smokers last year.  New Jersey teens are “Not For Sale” to their deceptive marketing practices. 

 

Our “Spare the Air: It’s What We Breathe” campaign educates residents about the dangers of secondhand smoke.  Secondhand smoke is a Class A carcinogen, like asbestos and radon. 

 

We’ve helped to dramatically reduce teen smoking in New Jersey – by 42 percent among middle school students and 11 percent among high school students in just two years (1999-2001).

 

We joined with 800 adult anti-tobacco advocates and organizations to collect more than 41,000 signatures during a 100-day “Spare the Air” Petition Drive to demonstrate public support for smoke-free air.

 

We cleared more than 55,000 cigarette butts from State parks and beaches during our “Bust Your Butts on the Beach” and “Spare the Air” community service events.