Hamilton County high school seniors from VOICE present prevention education
VOICE, Indiana’s statewide youth empowerment group celebrating tobacco-free lifestyles, recently presented vaping and tobacco prevention education to Fishers Junior High School students.
Noblesville seniors Nicole Liu and Maddie Stuckwisczh and Hamilton Southeastern seniors Suhita Chintalacharuva and Terryn Green educated seven sections of seventh- and eighth-grade health students on the dangers of vaping and tobacco use. The prevention education included how to make a big decision, the chemical make-up of vapes and their harmful impacts, and real-life scenarios to learn from. The goal of the training was to that each student had a plan for how to handle an uncomfortable situation around vaping and drugs.
Liu talked about her grandfather’s struggle with tobacco.
“My grandpa had been a smoker for his entire life, and even though he would always try to quit, he couldn’t,” Liu. “It was devastating for my family, and he passed away from lung cancer due to using these addictive products. The tobacco industry killed my grandpa and kills thousands more every year.”
The students at Fishers Junior High were eager to volunteer, and they paid special attention to the high school seniors who came to speak.
“I was so surprised and excited about how receptive the kids were to our presentation!” Chintalacharuva said. “They seemed very engaged and were always jumping to answer questions. It really showed that a lot of kids don’t think vaping and smoking is cool and are willing to learn about this issue.”
“Addressing younger students was a great experience for me because it was something I wish I could’ve experienced in junior high,” Green said. “It was very fulfilling to get to share about my experiences and why I don’t want them to fall into the habit of smoking as they become older teens.”
Fishers Junior High invited the VOICE student leaders to come back next year to build on this year’s vaping and tobacco efforts. The senior students were thankful for their ability to engage, empower, and educate younger students on how to live smoke and vape free lives. Hearing personal stories and gaining perspective from current high school students was invaluable.
“With tobacco use being the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, it is crucial we provide the youth with strategies and knowledge to live healthy tobacco free lifestyles,” said Shelby Zeller, seventh-grade health teacher.
About VOICE
VOICE is Indiana’s statewide youth empowerment brand and program, whose initiative is to engage, educate, and empower teens to promote and celebrate tobacco-free lifestyles. With a mission to engage, educate, empower young people as leaders and advocates in their communities through sustained youth-adult partnerships, positive youth development and public health advocacy training. VOICE Indiana has funded 24 counties and two Statewide Chapters (Indiana Black Expo & Indiana Latino Institute) and is represented by over 429 Core Team Leaders and Action Squad Members across the state.
About Breathe Easy Hamilton County
As an alliance working with local organizations and individuals within the Hamilton County community, Breathe Easy Hamilton County promotes tobacco-free living in order to reduce mortality and morbidity rates. Breathe Easy Hamilton County is working to ensure that all workers in Hamilton County are protected from secondhand smoke exposure. Breathe Easy believes everyone deserves the right to breathe smoke-free air at work and in public places.
About Good Samaritan Network
As the lead agency for Breathe Easy, Good Samaritan Network is the umbrella organization that coordinates and develops various opportunities for consistent programming and services in Hamilton County for those underserved or at-risk.