Message from University Students: "A World Without Tobacco"

At Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ), students came together in a meaningful event to raise awareness against tobacco use and strengthen the consciousness of a smoke-free environment. In the program held at the Prof. Dr. İlhan Varanak Library located on the university campus, the exhibition titled “The Missing Story of the Packages” was presented to the interest of visitors. The exhibition revealed the unseen health and social impacts behind cigarette packages with striking visuals.

In the program organized with the contributions of the MAKÜ Addiction Combat Coordination, Prof. Dr. Firdevs Savı Çakar and the Yeşilay team, who participated as speakers, drew attention to the individual and societal consequences of tobacco use.

Assistant Coordinator Assoc. Dr. Sevinç Sütlü emphasized the visual narrative power of the exhibition, stating that conveying the harms of smoking with concrete examples increased awareness. Sütlü noted that the visualized realities left a more lasting impact on young people.

Prof. Dr. Firdevs Savı Çakar stated that universities play a critical role in combating addiction. Çakar, who noted that projects carried out in academic and social areas where young people are densely present are of great importance for public health, expressed that such efforts should be widespread.

Additionally, Social Scientist Özgür Özdemir provided participants with information about legal regulations with his presentation titled “Right to Smoke-Free Air: Legal Framework and Regulations.”

The project team was led by Buse Yaren Süzen from Yaşar University, Gökhan Fidan from Istanbul Nişantaşı University, Vildan Çapoğlu from Hacettepe University, and Social Scientist Özgür Özdemir, while participants were informed about tobacco control policies and healthy living habits throughout the event.

One of the project leaders, Vildan Çapoğlu, also stated in her speech that it is aimed to make smoke-free environment applications more visible with data-based monitoring methods. Çapoğlu emphasized that young people can take ownership of their future by acting with collective consciousness, stating that awareness begins with being able to say “There is a problem here.”

The event, which was contributed to by academics and researchers from different universities, once again highlighted the importance of young people taking an active role in combating addiction, contributing to the strengthening of social consciousness towards a tobacco-free future.