Om Aggarwal, a Greenfield Intermediate School student, recently served as a page at the Statehouse and met state Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield.
Photo submitted
INDIANAPOLIS – Several local students visited the Indiana Statehouse recently, serving as pages or advocating for a tobacco-free lifestyle.
Om Aggarwal from Greenfield Intermediate School and Eli and Luke Manship of Eastern Hancock Middle School spent the day at the Statehouse touring the historic building, observing debates from the senate floor and interacting with state Sen. Mike Crider, R-Greenfield.
“I enjoy teaching local students about the Senate and how we pass legislation,” Crider said in a press release. “The page program is a wonderful learning experience and gives these future leaders an inside look at how issues addressed at the Statehouse impact our community.”
Students in grades six through 12 participate in the page program on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during the legislative session. Groups serve on Wednesdays.
To learn more about the program, visit www.IndianaSenateRepublicans.com/page-program.
State Reps. Bob Cherry, R-Greenfield, and Chris Jeter, R-Fishers, welcomed Hancock County VOICE action group to the Statehouse as they advocated for a tobacco-free lifestyle. The students, ages 13 to 18, strive to engage, educate and empower young Hoosiers to become leaders and advocate in their communities. Health officials in Indiana partner with these local teens to launch campaigns targeted at reducing tobacco use and nicotine use among our youth.
“It’s so important for groups like VOICE to continue growing in Indiana,” Jeter said in a press release. “Not only are these students encouraging their peers to live a tobacco and nicotine-free life, but they are also gaining leadership skills that will benefit them and our community in the future.”
Jeter said new developments in vaping and e-cigarettes have increased tobacco use among teens.
“Unfortunately, tobacco and nicotine products have only grown in popularity among Hoosier youth in recent years,” Cherry said. “Students in VOICE are leaders in their school and community, and they should be proud for taking a stand against smoking.”
According to a study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with more than 8 in 10 of those youth using flavored e-cigarettes.
Cherry said it is groups like VOICE that inspired him to support legislation in the past like increasing the smoking age to 21, increasing the cigarette tax and backing smoking cessation initiatives.
For additional information on the VOICE action team visit voiceindiana.org/index.php/about/ or email [email protected].
