Youth Council Launches “ Smoke Makes You Broke ” Campaign
By: Orange County Communications Department
To help prevent underage vaping, the Orange County Youth Council and the Orange County Office on Youth have launched a new Smoke Makes You Broke campaign. This campaign encourages Orange County youth to say no to vaping and is similar in spirit to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority ’ s Project Sticker Shock program. For this initiative, youth council members created their own stickers and window clings.
Staff contacted and received permission from Dollar General in Locust Grove, and Edwards Store and Short Food Mart in Unionville, to allow Youth Council members to place stickers and window clings at their establishments. These visual aids help increase awareness of the negative impacts of underage tobacco purchase and use. Understanding that tobacco use in any form is harmful to the body and environment, the Youth Council has been dedicated to the prevention of youth tobacco use. Through Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) funding, the Office on Youth has provided assistance to the Youth Council in their efforts to prevent youth tobacco use and to conduct tobacco litter cleanups.
Orange County youth and young adults can text VAPEFREEOC to 88709 for free and confidential assistance with vaping cessation. Those enrolled will receive up to 12 weeks of daily text messages with quit date assistance. Quit Now Virginia provides free information and coaching by telephone or online to residents desiring to quit smoking or using tobacco. Those interested can dial (800) QUIT - NOW for assistance that is free, confidential, and available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. For more information about youth tobacco use prevention programming in Orange County, or programs made possible by VFHY funding, please contact Robyn Chapman, Office on Youth Grant Program Manager, at (540) 672 - 5484 or rchapman@orangecountyva.gov.
Page 24 | July 2024
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