Youth Advocacy Helps Drive Town of Wallkill Action on Public Vaping

POW’R Against Tobacco congratulates the Town of Wallkill on taking steps to protect their community from the harms of vaping, following months of youth-led action. After hearing from local youth about the impact of public vaping, the board of Town of Wallkill amended their town code to prohibit vaping on town property at their December 18th meeting. By doing so, they ensure that Town of Wallkill residents can enjoy their parks, playgrounds, and other town properties smoke and vape free.

The path to this policy change traces back to classroom conversations when students started learning about, and speaking out on, the health impacts of vaping in their community. Katie Farrelly, Reality Check coordinator of POW’R Against Tobacco, collaborated with Alayne Eisloeffel, program director of the Tri-County Prevention Coalition (TCPC), to educate students in the area about the impacts of tobacco waste and secondhand vape exposure on public health. Katie and Alayne spoke with students at Pine Bush High School, where members of the Pine Bush TCPC Youth Partnership discussed their experiences with seeing tobacco use in public spaces. At Harmony Christian School, youth members of the TCPC Youth Partnership wrote letters to the board sharing their experiences and educating them about the normalization of tobacco use. What began in their classrooms soon continued to the Town of Wallkill Board meetings:

Pictured above left, after presenting to the Town of Wallkill Board in October on the impact of youth and tobacco in the community are students from the Tri-County Prevention Coalition Youth Partnership from left to right: Katie Farrelly; youth from the Tri‑County Prevention Coalition Youth Partnership, Noa Gonzalez, CJ Turcotte, and McKenna Larsen; Mrs. Haney; Alayne Eisloeffel; Mrs. Gonzalez. Pictured above right: Katie Farrelly, McKenna Larsen (president of the Tri-County Prevention Coalition Youth Partnership at Pine Bush High School) and Alayne Eisloeffel after the town board vote in December, (near left image). Downloadable Images here.

Their involvement highlights the impact youth can have when they speak up about issues that affect their community. “Many young people care about the issue of vaping in their community, but don’t know what to do about it. These young people were able to make a real difference and help make their community safer for everyone, but especially young children and teens like themselves,” said Katie Farrelly.

POW’R Against Tobacco thanks these young people for their hard work to protect their community from the harms of tobacco use, and the Tri-County Prevention Coalition for their partnership and dedication to improving community health.

Support Available for New Yorkers Who Want to Quit

For young people ages 13–24, the New York State Quitline offers DROPTHEVAPE, a free, confidential quit service. Visit nysmokefree.com/drop-the-vape or call 866-NY-QUITS to get started. For adults seeking support, the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking program is available statewide and has helped hundreds of thousands of people quit for good. The program combines expert guidance with peer support to increase your chances of quitting and staying quit.