Westside youth council campaigning to end vape usage among young people

Youth council members working on their presentation for the assembly held on May 8. Photo by Angie Toone.

A group of youth on the Westside are coming together to help end a common trend among young people: illegal and dangerous vaping.

Youth of yesteryear often faced challenges dealing with smoking and tobacco use. And while it’s still a problem, tobacco use overall continues to experience a steady decline among youth. Nowadays, youth are more likely to experience pressure to vape. The rise in vaping popularity and the lack of education around it continues to concern parents, schools, health officials, and young people alike.

Recent data show roughly 7% of kids and teens in Utah vape regularly, down from around 12% in 2019. Even with this decrease, many teens find themselves facing pressure from peers to engage in risky behavior, and that can include vaping. 

Along with this is the risk kids take by getting vaping supplies in the first place; since they are not legally allowed to purchase supplies, kids often resort to entrusting strangers or getting supplies from unregulated sources.

Despite not being able to legally purchase vaping supplies, many vaping products on the market today appear to be marketed towards youth, often by featuring games or fidget accessories, offering flavored cartridges such as cotton candy or french toast, or by designing them to look like children’s cartoon characters.

In 2025, the Utah State Legislature passed a bill banning most flavors of vapes, partially in an attempt to curtail continued use by minors. But many argue that kids are still disproportionately exposed to vapes and that overwhelmingly, it’s still the main tobacco product kids report using first.

Youth council members discussing details of the PSA (public service announcement). Photo by Angie Toone.

The Central 9th Youth Coalition, made up of students at East High School and Glendale Middle School — both of which serve families on the Westside — and supported by community mentors, have launched an anti-vaping campaign to bring awareness to the dangers of vaping and the ways in which young people are specifically at risk of being exposed to and pressured into vaping.

“Choose your health, not their wealth” is the slogan of this campaign, and the students involved are actively working to get their message out to the community. Central to their work is the idea that tobacco companies are still profiting from kids engaging in risky behaviors.

The youth council is taking a three-pronged approach to this campaign: a public service campaign, an assembly for their peers, and a letter writing campaign to prominent leaders and figures in the community, including Salt Lake City Council member Erika Carlson and State Senator Dr. Jen Plumb. 

“We know that this can impact upcoming generations and we want to stop it before it gets completely normalized,” said Aileen Nava, one of the students on the youth council.

For many of the students on the council, this is a deeply personal issue, as they have a lot of friends who vape regularly and face constant exposure to vaping.

“A lot of my friends use it as a coping mechanism and it shouldn’t be,” said one student.

“We want parents to know not to be harsh with their kids. They still need support and [we believe] there are better ways to help them,” said Elaine Enriquez, one of the students on the council.

At the May 8th assembly — held as part of a larger Mother’s Day resource event — the students in charge of delivering the presentation shared their research and thoughts with attendees. 

Stephanie Costa, a community mentor and Central 9th Youth Coalition member noted, “It’s very cool to see them gain confidence in the subject matter.” Fellow mentor and board member Emily Hamilton added, “They go from ‘deer in the headlights’ to forming real friendships, and the confidence they gain is just so cool to see.”

Once they were done with their presentation, the students invited parents to do some role playing. This helped further demonstrate ways in which parents can talk to their kids about the dangers of vaping. Attendees had a great time with the students and several parents noted how informative the whole thing had been. “This is the first time I’ve seen kids teach the adults,” remarked one attendee.

Youth council members working on the letter-writing portion of their campaign. Photo by Angie Toone.

The Central 9th Youth Coalition was created in 2020 in partnership with Spy Hop productions. It is a collaborative project of young people, community members, and other local organizations. What started as a school based support network in Glendale Middle School and East High School has blossomed into a deeply connected community-based initiative aimed at creating resilient youth and reducing the risk of substance use, suicide, and violence in young people’s lives.

Students must apply to participate on the council, and last year alone saw around 30 applications. There are currently 11 council members and they are all in either 8th or 9th grade, though coalition manager Steve Williams noted that they have had 10th graders in the past as well. “They come in with so much passion for the community already when they go through the application process,” said Williams. 

While most students serve only 1-2 years, the legacy they leave behind is felt in every cohort. And with campaigns like the current anti-vaping project, their legacy extends to the community as well.