Anyone who believes that teenagers are too young or too apathetic to make a difference in the world has never met the members of Gang Allumée.  Earlier this year, the Collège Charlemagne branch of the teen anti-smoking movement completed a short video that is making a big splash, with more than 30,000 views on YouTube.

The concept of the video, which was inspired by a similar Thai video, is simple: a young child approaches smokers on the street and asks them for a light.  After observing their horrified responses, the child hands the smoker a pamphlet with a message encouraging him or her to think of their own health, not just his.

“We all know how smoking is bad for our health and when we see others doing it, especially kids, our first reaction is to tell them all the consequences and tell them to stop!” says Alicia Lee, a member of the Gang Allumée college group. “But, unfortunately, most of the time we forget about ourselves.”

Lee said the group, which held a premiere at Collège Charlemagne that was well-attended by students, the public, and various media outlets, has received “amazing” feedback about the video.

To see for yourself, visit tinyurl.com/gangallumee.