Share Your Voice on Youth Vaping and Mental Health!
Are you passionate about how vaping affects you, your friends and your community? Are you tired of companies marketing to young people with flavored vapes and flashy ads? We want to hear from you.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is calling on young people across the country to speak out about how vaping is impacting youth mental health, and how harmful and addictive products are marketed to youth.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for short personal stories, reflections, poems or any other written art form to create a national resource that will inspire other young people and inform leaders about what’s really going on in our schools and communities. We want to hear from you in your own words — how is youth vaping impacting your life and your peers’?
In 500 words or less, tell us about your thoughts and feelings on youth vaping. Use the prompts below to help spark your ideas — there are no wrong answers!
- How has vaping shown up in your day-to-day life (like at school, on social media or in friend groups)?
- How has vaping affected your or your peers’ mental health?
- What are your thoughts on how flavored vapes are advertised to youth?
- What are your observations on how addictive flavored vapes can be?
- What emotions come up when you see how vaping is promoted to young people?
- How do you take care of your mental health in a world where vaping is so common, though unhealthy, coping strategy?
- What do you want adults and decision-makers to understand about how vaping impacts your generation?
- What do you wish your school, community or policy makers would do differently about youth vaping?
- What does a vape-free future look like to you?
- What advice would you give to younger students about the risks of vaping?
Eligibility
This contest is open to people who are 20 years old or younger at the time of submission and currently reside in the United States or its territories. Participants under the age of 18 must have parent or guardian permission to enter, as indicated in the submission form.
Each person may submit only one entry. Entries must be original work that reflects the thoughts, opinions or experiences of the participant.
A Few Things To Know
If your entry is chosen, you’ll receive a prize as thanks for sending us your story and allowing us to share it. Your story will be featured with first name and state only in a national resource alongside facts and research about youth vaping.
- 1st prize: $200 gift card
- 2nd prize: $150 gift card
- 3rd prize: $100 gift card
- Runners-up (3): $50 gift card
Key Dates
- Submissions Open: Week of Aug. 4
- Deadline to Submit: Sept. 12
- Selections Made: Sept. 26
Are You a Provider?
Join us in reaching more young voices. Please share this opportunity with the youth in your network and community. Whether they’re students, mentees, family members or other young people you work with, their perspectives matter and could make a real difference.
Ready to help? Choose your approach:
Download and Display
Download and print the poster and share it with your community.
Amplify Online
Use our social graphic to share on your platforms. Click the download button below.
Social Media Copy (Optional)
Your story has power. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is seeking young voices to share how vaping affects mental health and how tobacco companies manipulate youth. Write your story in 500 words or less. Six contributors will win gift cards up to $200. Submissions due Sept 12. Turn your experience into change!
Your voice matters! The National Council for Mental Wellbeing wants to hear how vaping affects youth mental health. Share your story in 500 words or less and help expose how companies target young people. Gift cards up to $200 for 6 winning stories. Deadline: Sept 12. Your experience could help save lives.
Young people have the power to expose how vape companies deliberately target youth and impact mental health. The National Council for Mental Wellbeing & Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids want YOUR story (500 words max). Selected submissions win gift cards up to $200. Due Sept 12.
Tag us:
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- Facebook: @National Council for Mental Wellbeing
- LinkedIn: National Council for Mental Wellbeing
- Instagram: @Nationalcouncil
- TikTok: @National_council
- YouTube: @NationalCouncil
- Threads: @Nationalcouncil
If you have any questions, please email Youlim Song at YoulimS@TheNationalCouncil.org.