“Given the strong alignment to the Victorian school curriculum, these resources provide new and best-practice opportunities for engagement in classrooms, something we have not had on the topic of vaping to this point,” she said.
VicHealth chief executive Dr Sandro Demaio said new school resources would play a vital role in reducing and preventing vaping among young people.
“We know from our successful history in tobacco control that the classroom is an ideal environment for teenagers to learn about the harms of nicotine and smoking,” he said.
“Building on this legacy, the ‘Seeing Through the Haze’ resources will support teachers to educate students about the health impacts of vaping.
“As a raft of new regulations come into play this year to address the sale and promotion of vaping nationally, these evidence-based resources are a crucial and timely step in tackling vaping among young people.”
Cancer Council Victoria chief executive Todd Harper said helping students understand vaping health harms was urgent.
“The more we can discourage young people from taking up vaping or to support them to stop, the better the long-term health outcomes for the community,” he said.
“Vaping can cause lung injury, lead to seizures and interrupt concentration. Our intention is for these resources to empower students to work together to design vape-free spaces and advocate for a vape-free future.”
Facts on vaping
The resources are broken into separate modules to help students get the facts on vaping, to understand how social factors contribute to vaping and to develop anti-vaping campaigns to make change.
Students will also be able to submit an anti-vaping campaign to the ‘Seeing through the Haze’ schools challenge running throughout the year.
State Education Minister Ben Carroll said the free resources would support schools to prevent and respond to vaping by providing further opportunities to help students understand the dangers of vaping through day-to-day learning.
“While vaping is a societal issue, schools are rightly concerned about the impacts of vaping on the physical and mental health of their students and are keen to be part of a broader, community-wide solution,” he said.
“That’s why we’re equipping schools with brand-new teaching and learning resources spanning health and physical education, English, science and other subjects, so teachers and principals have more support to address vaping right across the school curriculum.”
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