We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands across which we live and work. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ continuing connection – both physical and spiritual – to land, sea and sky.

Empowering youth through art and health education

A vibrant mural at Eden Marine High School marks the culmination of a youth-focused initiative aimed at reducing vaping and smoking among young people in Southern NSW. Led by Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) and commissioned by COORDINARE, the project combined creative expression with health education to engage students in meaningful ways.

Over the course of the campaign, SNSWLHD’s project team:

Attended 30+ youth events.

Engaged with approximately 3,000 young people.

Found that nearly half of surveyed youth knew someone who had reduced or quit vaping / smoking in the past six months.

Recorded an 8% decrease in young people identifying as smokers or vapers.

The mural was co-created by Eden Marine High students under the guidance of Aboriginal artists Joseph Stewart and Alison Simpson. The school was selected due to higher reported rates of smoking and vaping among Aboriginal students, and targeted activities led to a 16% decrease in these behaviours.

These initiatives created through the localised ‘escape the vape’ project achieved some amazing results in terms of changing attitudes and behaviours of teenagers around vaping. I’m delighted to see this mural at the high school I attended, it is a great way to ensure the positive messages continue.

The Hon Kristy McBain MP

Member for Eden-Monaro

Anecdotal evidence from the project highlights the importance of taking a non-judgmental approach to young people’s quit attempts, and how beneficial supportive networks and people can be to success.

Prudence Buist

CEO, COORDINARE - South Eastern NSW PHN

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