According to the Centers for Disease Control, “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among U.S. youth. No tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, especially for children, teens, and young adults.”
It goes on to state that once hooked “most middle and high schoolers who vape want to quit,” but once addiction to nicotine sets in, a person finds quitting very challenging. To prevent young people from picking up the habit, the CDC recommends “evidence-based policies, programs, and services to reduce youth vaping.”
And that is where Patricia Sponaugle of Potomac Highlands Guild steps in.
Sponaugle is a Partnership for Success Coordinator with Potomac Highlands Guild. PHG often partners with regional school systems to develop programs to support good choices for youth and also to help kids who are struggling with different issues.
Sponaugle described the process of using assessments to determine the most prevalent substance problems facing area youth.
One of the first steps lies in assessing children’s risk factors. Ten questions are asked of the child if they have experienced certain major stressors, such as parental divorce, abuse, or other problems. “Every time you have dealt with that, you put your finger up,” she explained.
Sadly, “so many kids out there have a score higher than four,” she stated. Higher scores often can indicate a higher probability of trouble, Consider verifying whether this is a direct quote; if paraphrase, change ‘is’ to ‘are’ among children with elevated scores.
She also explained that parents should take nicotine vaping seriously. Much like recent studies indicate that “smart device” use negatively affects cognitive development, nicotine does the same. Sponaugle described that the brain, until fully formed in one’s early 20s, will not develop to its potential in a child who vapes.
Sponaugle went on to state that nicotine also, in many cases, elevates anxiety among users. In addition to the stimulating nature of the drug, users spend a great deal of time worrying about obtaining costly nicotine-based products.
Sponaugle worked with Katherine Richardson, youth group leader for the Moorefield Church of God. Youth group members took the assessment, then answered questions about their age group in general. She explained that the goal lay in “figuring out what the problem is and why it’s happening” and learn “what they see.”
The next step lay in forming focus groups to discuss what they learned from the assessments.
This led to an educational project called the “Vape Escape Group.” Kids took part in an escape room scenario in which “tidbits of knowledge” about vaping led to clues on how to get out. Amy Chave facilitated the event.
“The main goal is to empower these kids to stand up for their future,” explained Sponaugle, who added that they want kids to “use their voices . . . teach them to be leaders.” Giving young people the tools to resist vaping also provides preparation to resist other drugs as well.
“There won’t be so many people down the road recovering from addiction,” said Sponaugle.
The group, called “Revive Youth”, is applying leadership skills and also has plans to take their message to the community. “The first step is writing a proclamation,” stated Sponaugle. The group members will draw up a proclamation to take to the Hardy County Commission in October, which is Prevention Month. Sponaugle noted that younger members in the group look up to the older teenagers as leaders and role models for better choices.
Another partner in the effort, the local 4-H, spearheaded another project. They created a poster stating “I pledge to support a healthier America for the next 250 years.” Almost 120 kids signed the pledge.
