Hepburn Shire Council joins anti-vaping campaign
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Published on 23 August 2024
Hepburn Shire Council is part of a new $2m initiative to empower young people to say no to vaping.
Delivered by VicHealth, Vape-Free Victoria will see 29 local councils, 5 universities, 5 sporting bodies and teams, the Alcohol and Drug Foundation, Quit Victoria and the Victorian Government work together to support young people aged 14 to 25 to understand the harms of vaping.
The project aims to elevate the voices and experiences of young people through the UNCLOUD platform, giving them the opportunity to help create local solutions to address vaping.
Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said, “We are very pleased to be launching this important health initiative with the State Government and its various partners. We hope that our younger community members will take the chance to access this program, to understand the realities of vaping, and to share those learnings with their peers.”
VicHealth expect this project to encourage authentic peer-to-peer conversations.
Michelle Murray, Executive Manager Health Promotion Systems at VicHealth, said “We know that too many young Victorians started vaping because they weren’t aware of the harms – they had no warning.”
As part of Vape-Free Victoria, sporting bodies and teams including Swimming Victoria, Athletics Victoria, Melbourne Vipers, Deakin Melbourne Boomers and Hockey Club Melbourne, will share and promote the UNCLOUD platform at sporting carnivals, youth holiday programs, events, and across social media platforms.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation will upskill coaches at sporting clubs across Victoria with vaping prevention and cessation education.
“Hopefully, as our youth and young people start to share their stories about the effects of vaping on their health, these true stories will go a long way to helping reduce the incidence of this harmful practice within our Shire,” said Cr Hood.
If you or someone you know needs support to stop vaping, contact Quit via phone, SMS, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. For more details, visit quit.org.au.