Tobacco Stops With Me, a program of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), is launching a new campaign to encourage parents and educators to talk with kids about the dangers of youth vaping and tobacco use.

The campaign, “Talk About Tobacco,” provides new resources to help parents and teachers begin what might be considered an awkward conversation about a sensitive subject. These include conversation guides, interactive games, classroom resources, a vaping guide and an informative blog.

“We want parents to feel prepared to have an open and honest conversation with their kids about vaping to build trust as a reliable source of support,” said Julie Bisbee, TSET executive director. “We’ve seen reports of kids as young as 11 vaping, and our team is getting requests for age-specific resources from elementary school teachers. TSET will continue to help empower our youth to ensure they lead healthier, stronger lives as future decisionmakers. Talking about tobacco is the first step in that process.”

More than 21% of Oklahoma high schoolers use e-cigarettes — that’s more than double the national average (10%). Plus, 60% of parents whose teens vape are unaware it’s happening. The “Talk About Tobacco” campaign is a powerful tool to prevent kids from starting down the path to a lifetime of addiction.

“It’s not something I’ve tried personally, but I have friends and family who vape and smoke. My grandma had some health problems as a result of smoking, and I know it’s not something she would want anyone else to suffer with,” said Boomer Pridemore, a junior at Luther High School. “That’s one of the reasons I got involved in health advocacy at school, and that’s why it’s important that we talk about tobacco.”

Boomer is part of the TSET Healthy Youth Initiative’s Youth Action for Health Leadership (YAHL) program, a statewide youth-led initiative to promote healthy behaviors.

Find more information on how you can help Oklahoma youth live healthier lives at TalkAboutTobacco. com.