Mountain Youth – Eat Chat Connect (May 2025)

In May 2025, IFWTC Executive Director Jim Pavlik was honored to present “Nicotine and the Adolescent Brain” at the Mountain Youth Eat Chat Connect forum—an impactful community dialogue focused on youth health and substance‐use awareness. Drawing on contemporary research, he explored how nicotine exposure during adolescence shapes brain development, influences mental-health trajectories and heightens vulnerability to addiction. Jim is proud to have engaged parents, caregivers and professionals in this meaningful discussion aimed at bolstering youth well-being and prevention efforts within a supportive regional forum.