Hi lovelies,

Did you catch the truth campaign’s latest Left Swipe Dat video? Check it out below! Also, check out my interview with a "truth tour" rider, Angela Ying, who's a Public Health major at Brigham Young University and works for the American Red Cross.

It's an awesome project, learn more below and how you can get involved!

Becky G and Fifth Harmony teamed up with truth as well as King Bach, Grace Helbig, Harley Morenstein and AlphaCat to call attention to the impact that smoking images have. 

This summer the truth campaign is traveling across the country – empowering this generation to use their power and creativity to end tobacco use for good. 

For the 15th year, the truth tour will have two crews of truth “tour riders” who will hit the road from June through September and connect with more than one million young people at over 100 stops including stops on the Vans Warped Tour and the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.

The tour riders will have a singular message to young people: let’s be the generation to “Finish It” and end tobacco use for good.

The full schedule for the tour is available at: thetruth.com/events

Candy Washington: What inspired you to get involved with the truth Campaign?

Angela Ying: I was inspired to get involved with the truth campaign because I remember watching the truth commercials growing up and just being in shock by what I saw. I always thought to myself, “Why would anyone ever want to touch a cigarette when all these facts are out here plain and simple?” Those ads played a huge part in my decision to never smoke. Knowing that about 1 out of 3 youth smokers will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease, I wanted to get involved and make a difference in the world. I wanted to inspire other teens and young adults and show them that they didn’t have to smoke to have fun. I’ve also always wanted to combine my passions for public health issues and touring in the music industry, so when I heard about the truth tour rider position, I applied right away.

CW: What has surprised you the most while being on the Vans Warped Tour?

AY: The most surprising thing to me while being out on the Vans Warped Tour is how open teens have been about talking about cigarettes and tobacco. Every 6 seconds, someone in the world dies from a smoking-related disease and when I hear stories from so many people about how tobacco has impacted their lives, it makes that statistic so much more personal and real. Some stories have brought me close to tears and those personal shares remind me that the truth campaign does change and make a difference in lives. It makes the truth message and my role in sharing that message with others that much more important to me.

CW: How can we get involved and help out in the movement?

AY: Visit thetruth.com and sign up to #FinishIt! The teen smoking rate is at 8% now, which is down from 23% in 2000, and we need everyone’s help in joining forces to get that down to 0%! You can also “X” your profile picture on social media to show that you are committed to being a part of the generation to end smoking.

CW: What's not to be missed during the tour?

AY: Anything that’s happening at the truth truck! We have live music by the DJ J. Dayz all day long and fun, interactive games. The lip-sync competitions in the truth zone are always a blast too and can get pretty intense, which is awesome.

CW: As a self-described hippie, how has that helped you connect with others during the movement?

AY: I’m all about being eco-friendly and trying my best to protect the earth. Most people don’t know that about 1.69 billion pounds of butts end up as toxic trash each year. The environmental impact of cigarette butts is a really easy way to connect with teens about the issue of smoking if they haven’t necessarily been personally impacted by tobacco. Due to the fact that cigarette butts are the number one littered item around the world, everyone is impacted by cigarettes. truth is all about sharing facts in a casual, comfortable way, and I think my laidback personality also makes me easily approachable.

CW: Anything else you want to share with my readers?

AY: Follow truth on Twitter and Instagram at @truthorange to see our adventures on the road! We also do awesome stuff year-round so you don’t want to miss out. And if you’re in the area, make sure to check us out on tour. The schedule is: thetruth.com/events. We want to hang out with each and every one of you!