The Be Epic Escape the Vape is excited to be hosting a free dinner and educational event for Carbon County parents and guardians on Monday, Jan. 29 at 6:00 pm at Creekview Elementary. Vaping Prevention Specialist, Josie Hatch stopped by Castle Country Radio to share details with listeners.
“In Carbon, Emery and Grand Counties we tend to have the highest rate of youth vaping in that state. Those numbers have kind of decreased since their high in 2019. We had nearly 50 percent of twelfth graders who had said that they tried vaping in their lifetime. In 2023, it’s gone down a little bit, where we had about 33 percent who had lifetime vaping and about 20 percent who said they had passed 30-day use and that’s compared to about 10 percent in the state,” said Hatch. That is why the Be Epic Escape the Vape campaign hosts educational dinners in communities to bring awareness about the dangers of vaping.
The evening is a great way for parents to open the lines of communication about the dangers of vaping. “As a parent, like there is so many things that your kids can be exposed to nowadays, there’s substances, there’s also social media, and online things. We have a phrase in our field, prevention is prevention is prevention. If you can be the type of parent who’s staying updated and informed on things, then your kids can talk to you about these things. Especially if you feel comfortable opening up these conversations to your kids about difficult topics then you’ll be surprised about what they open up and tell you when they know that you’re a safe place to talk to,” stated Hatch. There will be a pre and post survey given to all participants who attend the dinner presentation.
Parents who wish to attend this educational dinner are urged to register today as spots are limited, plus they need a headcount for food. “We’re going to have a free dinner for all the parents, registration is required so please make sure you go to https://www.eventbrite.com/ and sign up to come. Again, we’re just going to talk about the negative effects of vaping on youth brain development and their social and emotional health, and we’ll also just talk about building those relationships,” said Hatch.
If you have any questions about the event please call Josie Hatch at (435) 636-3276 or email her at josie.hatch@usu.edu