This webinar will provide an overview of youth vaping from what the devices look like, to why vaping is a concern with a specific focus on Latino youth. The webinar begins with a show and tell of commonly used vape products, including the Juul. Sleek, candy flavored, and easily concealed, these devices are the perfect storm for attracting teens. Following the show and tell, participants will learn about the risks of youth vaping; risks like popcorn lung, exploding batteries, and nicotine addiction. Youth are vaping e-juice with flavorings, nicotine, and high potency THC concentrates. This webinar will cover the risks of each of these products. Using data from the Monitoring the Future survey, the webinar will discuss prevalence and trends among Latino Youth. In addition, data from listening sessions conducted with Latino teens and parents in Westchester County, NY will be presented.The webinar will conclude with a discussion of prevention opportunities for parents, professionals, and policy makers. A teen leader will describe his work in vaping prevention such as advocating for laws limiting teen access and educating his peers through an escape the vape activity. Other prevention options including a Hidden In Plain Sight parent education experience and a community mapping project will be presented.

Presenters

Judy Mezey, MS
Director of Community Based Programs @Student Assistance Services, Corp.

Judy Mezey graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Psychology and joined the Peace Corps as a health educator in West Africa. Since then, she has worked in the substance abuse field, first counseling teenagers and later directing community-based prevention programs. She completed her Master’s degree in Human Resource Management at Mercy College. Currently, as Director of Community Based Programs for Student Assistance Services Corp., Judy develops and supervises community-based substance abuse and problem gambling prevention programs in diverse communities.

Abe Baker-Butler
Director of Legislative Advocacy and Expansion @YOUth Decide

Abe Baker-Butler is a junior at Blind Brook High School focused on peer-to-peer prevention and legislative advocacy. Abe was instrumental in the passage of Westchester County’s Tobacco 21 legislation and is now working on initiatives at the state and county level. He is the Director of Legislative Advocacy and Expansion for the student-led nonprofit YOUth Decide, which is focused on preventing teen substance use. Abe’s dedication to public health is evidenced by his role as co-founder of the Westchester Student Coalition Against Gun Violence (WSCAGV) and his selection as a 2019 Westchester County Public Health Honoree. Also on the local level, Abe serves as the Student Representative to the Blind Brook Community Coalition and Vice President of the Westchester County Youth Advisory Board. Abe has been featured on MSNBC in connection with his gun safety advocacy, and he was recently selected as one of two New York delegates to the 2019 United States Senate Youth Program.