Europolitan new principal sponsor of "A Non-Smoking Generation"

PRESS RELEASE - Karlskrona, 2 May 2000 New principal sponsor of "A Non-Smoking Generation" Europolitan contributing to a non-smoking world Europolitan is stepping in as the principal sponsor of the foundation "A Non-Smoking Generation". Amongst other activities, the foundation visits schools to encourage students not to start smoking. A contest is getting underway this spring - students have been challenged with creating a campaign to increase politicians' involvement in tobacco-related issues. "Europolitan wants to help youngsters build self-esteem so that they can make their own decisions about whether to start smoking or not," says Nina Klemming of Marketing Communications at Europolitan. "Being a good corporate citizen is important to Europolitan, and smoking is a pressing issue." Europolitan is sponsoring A Non-Smoking Generation's biggest project, classroom visits and the School Contest 2000. The contest is designed to get politicians to listen to young people's demands for action in the tobacco issue. The competition is the largest school competition in Sweden and over 600,000 students are being invited to participate. Voting will be carried out over the Internet. "Europolitan is making an important contribution to today's youth by supporting A Non-Smoking Generation," says Gunilla Steinwall, Secretary General of A Non-Smoking Generation. "The company has a strong foothold among youth, which also helps our work." A Non-Smoking Generation's goal is to prevent children and youngsters from starting to use tobacco. The foundation is independent of political and religious affiliations and has around 30 full-time employees that work with information and opinion leading. It is not about scare-mongering and issuing warnings, but using values exercises and role-play to get the youngsters to think about, argue and take a stand on the tobacco issue themselves. The students are also taught to resist peer pressure, make conscious choices and to strengthen self-confidence. Support from corporations and private donators is very important for the foundation. The organisation's partners include several advertising agencies that offer their services at reduced fees or on an entirely not- for-profit basis. Europolitan AB is a Swedish GSM operator that prioritises service and quality. The company's head office is in Karlskrona, Sweden. Europolitan is a leader in the field of technically advanced services for GSM 900/1800.The Europolitan Group, which also includes the stock market listed parent company Europolitan Holdings AB and sister companies Europolitan Stores AB, Ocom AB and Doberman AB, has around 1,000 employees. For more information, please contact: Lotta Hansson, Press Relations, Europolitan AB Tel: +46 708 33 13 51, e-mail: lotta.hansson@europolitan.se Nina Klemming, Marketing Communications, Europolitan AB Tel +46 708 33 15 61, e-mail: nina.klemming@ europolitan.se Gunilla Steinwall, Secretary General, A Non-Smoking Generation Tel: +46 708 33 44 71, e-mail: gunilla@nonsmoking.se ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/05/02/20000502BIT00800/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/05/02/20000502BIT00800/bit0002.pdf