Kick Butts Day (KBD) is the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids annual celebration of youth leadership and activism. March 31, 2004 was the ninth annual KBD. Campaign staff worked with Allen/Ortiz to reinvigorate KBD, the KBD Guide and event ideas and guidelines, and the Youth Action website. KBD was looking to expand its audience, by reaching out to more innovative high school and college aged activists.

Allen/Ortiz facilitated this transition through a series of in-person and telephonic meetings as well as a private internet site for previews, communication and feedback. KBD Guide 2005 Youth were given a crash course in general design theory, layout principles and copy writing techniques in the first of two crew meetings, held in July. Initial direction for the KBD Guide and a skeleton for the project was developed, laying the groundwork for further development of the guide.

The second crew meeting, held mid-September, consisted of a scrupulous review of the guide's first draft. Changes to copy, layout, and design were to be made. Any remaining images or graphics were taken or developed. A final draft of the KBD guide emerged to be reviewed by Campaign Staff. Through these two crew meetings and intermediary conference calls, Allen/Ortiz staff facilitated the transformation of the KBD Guide on three levels: Design, Color and Graphics.

• Design (Cover, Layout, Color Scheme, etc.)

• Youth Advocates worked with Allen/Ortiz Graphics Designers and Campaign Staff to design Cover Art, Guide Layout and Graphics. Images used were CTFK Youth Advocate of the Year Award winners of other youth activists. Allen/Ortiz was responsible for the final Cover Art and Layout

• Monthly conference calls facilitated the discussion, which continued with an interactive web page through which suggestions, alterations, and voting took place.

• Content

• Allen/Ortiz staff worked with the youth advocates and Campaign staff to identify a theme, which tied together events, the guide and the message.

• Allen/Ortiz staff worked with the youth advocates and Campaign staff to edit Headings, Subheadings and copy to assure the brand essence is felt throughout the KBD Guide.

• Allen/Ortiz staff worked with the advocates and Campaign Staff to develop profiles of past events, advice from activists and ways to ensure success.

• Graphics

• A general call for images was posted for Youth Advocates to electronically submit pictures, drawings, graphics, etc.

Youth Action Website

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/youthaction

An important component of the Campaign's role as the emerging national leader in the practice of youth empowerment will be found on the internet. This medium will serve youth across the nation and will further the goals of the Campaign, youth advocates and the state and national anti-tobacco programs. The design and layout of the current website does not entice youth advocates to use the resources available to them. The benchmark of true youth empowerment that the Campaign seeks to establish can be effectively communicated through the website. Promotion of the launch of the website can be incorporated with the KBD events and promotion.

The brainstorming, planning and implementation of a new, cutting-edge website will be the product of hard work and input from across the country; Allen/Ortiz will faciliate this process. The youth empowerment that the website will be based around will be evident behind the scenes. Through conference calls, discussion boards, and face-to-face meetings, the Youth Advocates, CF TFK staff and Allen/Ortiz staff:

• Identified goals of the website

• Inentified the target audience

• Critiqued the past CFTFK website and other youth targeted websites

• Brainstormed innovative uses of available technology to improve the website

• Developed a plan to incorporate positive aspects of existing sites along with new ideas from brainstorming

• Met with web design team

• Launched site

Allen/Ortiz staff modified the KBD Website to provide:

• a way for youth activists to communicate with other youth in their area

• a way for youth activists to get help in implementing their activities

• a way for youth to document their activities, and for the CFTFK to evaluate the usefulness of the guide, the scope and magnitude of KBD activities and media coverage

• a way for youth to share photos, videos, graphics, successes and areas for improvement of their events.