Year 7 & 8 Wellbeing Program

Adolescent vaping and tobacco use is an increasingly concerning issue, particularly among young people. Year 7 & 8 students will engage in a unique, evidence-based Our Futures Vaping Prevention Program which will provide young people with a toolkit of skills that can be used in the real world to prevent vaping and smoking. 

The research team at the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use have co-designed the Vaping Prevention Program with educators and students, using the best available evidence. The Australian Government is funding a nationwide roll-out of the Our Futures Vaping Prevention program to year 7-8 students across the country.

 Students will learn about:-

▪️Understanding the harms and health effects of vaping;

▪️ Common vaping misconceptions and their corrections;

▪️The impact of social media and social influences;

▪️Assertive communication and refusal skills to resist peer pressure;

▪️Strategies to break the cycle of nicotine dependence;

▪️Help-seeking for vaping, smoking, and mental health.

Initial results have shown that immediately after receiving the program, students had significantly reduced intentions to vape, as well as improved knowledge about the harms and risks associated with vaping. Over 8 in 10 students said the skills and information they learnt would help them deal more effectively with vaping situations in the future.

Vicki Hinks 

Leader, McAuley House