The placement of tobacco retail outlets near schools (especially elementary schools) has potentially harmful implications for youth, since kids get the message that smoking is acceptable. In order to determine how easy it is for youth to buy cigarettes, the Youth Tobacco Project was launched in October, 1995. To find out how accessible cigarettes are in places where youth shop, community groups across the United States were asked to mobilize residents to count the number of retail outlets that sell tobacco products within a quarter-mile radius of a school. More than 500 volunteers from 27 states participated in this project. Collectively, participants found over 1,200 tobacco retail outlets within a quarter-mile radius of a school. Of the 222 schools surveyed, 93% reported that there were retail outlets nearby, representing an average of six outlets located near each school. Convenience and grocery stores were the most common places selling cigarettes near schools. Other communities are encouraged to replicate the study as part of a broad-based strategy to combat substance abuse on the local level. Numerous suggestions for action are listed, including: distribute your project findings at places parents frequent; check whether stores have proper warnings posted saying it is illegal to sell cigarettes to youth; form teams of kids and parents to count cigarette advertising near schools; and encourage schools to educate students about the hazards of smoking. (TS)