Youth in Mercer County are taking a stand against big tobacco companies.

The newly formed Mercer County Tobacco Prevention Youth Coalition is working toward telling big tobacco companies that they won't be manipulated into using their products, said Lynda Moss-McDougall, 4-H youth program adviser for tobacco prevention.

Ms. Moss-McDougall, who has been with the Penn State Mercer County Cooperative Extension office, said her job now focuses solely on tobacco prevention. She works in conjunction with the Mercer County Behavior Health Commission and her work is paid for by tobacco settlement money, she said. Marcia Burgard has also been partnered with Ms. Moss-McDougall on the project and will work with students in schools outside of the Shenango Valley.

Ms. Moss-McDougall said her goal is to get at least two students from every school district in the county to be a part of the coalition. Nine kids attended the first meeting Feb. 12 at the Hickory VFW in Hermitage, she said.

The coalition formed out of a state-wide youth effort called BUSTED! The message is "we're tired of them (big tobacco) trying to manipulate us into smoking," Ms. Moss-McDougall said. "It's all about dealing with big tobacco and booting big tobacco."

Students involved with the coalition will be trained to go into the schools to deliver the BUSTED! message, she said.

"Kids don't know who big tobacco is," Ms. Moss-McDougall said, citing Philip Morris as an example. She said kids don't realize the tobacco industry spends $9 billion a year on advertising, primarily targeted at young people.

"How big tobacco is targeting youth is as replacement smokers for those who will eventually die from a smoking-related illness," she said.

Kids in the Mercer County 4-H S.Q.U.A.D.S. program -- which stands for Study, Question, Understand, Action, Debrief, Success -- will still go into the schools to deliver an anti-smoking message that deals more with the health aspects of smoking, she said.

The coalition will have their second meeting at 6 p.m. March 26. The location is to be announced. During the meeting the kids may pick a new name for the coalition and elect officers, Ms. Moss-McDougall said.