Left to right are Dr. Soto from the University of Southern California, and the RISE team of Berthea Townsend, Lisa Craig and Thomas Anguiano who delivered a vape prevention session at the National Tribal Tobacco Conference in Minnes
On June 27, 2024, two high school youth in the RISE program delivered a 90-minute session to the National Tribal Tobacco Conference at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. Modoc freshman Thomas Anguiano and Surprise Valley junior Berthea Townsend flew to Minneapolis, Minnesota with Culture Advisor Lisa Craig in response to a symposium invitation to share a new vaping intervention curriculum.
The curriculum, Vaping Endgame, was developed by RISE in partnership with the University of Southern California and Modoc High School during a two-year research period. In November 2023, the five lessons were piloted with 32 students.
The curriculum is scheduled to be presented to the Modoc Joint Unified School Board on August 13, 2024. A RISE youth advocate team will present data outcome and propose implementation to reduce increased youth vaping.
A disparately high prevalence of nicotine product use among Native/American Indian and Alaska Native communities is directly reflected in disproportionate rates of chronic diseases in the populations. Youth vaping has become an epidemic. The tobacco conference emphasized the importance of creating health equity and provided an opportunity for researchers in tobacco and healthcare to network and collaborate. Townsend and Anguiano engaged and uplifted the audience with the first culturally adapted, youth vaping intervention curriculum.
Katelyn Williford, California Friday Night Live Partnership Grant Coordinator, attended the RISE team session and exclaimed, “I just had the pleasure of taking part in the RISE workshop. Wow! What an incredible and interactive session. It was great to see Lisa, Thomas, and Thea in person and on stage. They did such a phenomenal job. We can’t wait to continue to learn more about the new curriculum. Please keep us updated as it gets published.”
There is an urgent need to bring effective prevention and intervention strategies to all youth regarding pros and cons of electronic cigarettes, or vaping. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that vape use by youth has been associated with mental health symptoms such as depression.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/pdfs/Youth-Know-the-Risks-TPs-508_1.pdf.
