Our upcoming parenting seminar in May will aim to empower parents and carers with advice on the best ways to discuss vaping with young people.

Attendees of the session, hosted in partnership with Access Health and Community, will learn strategies to facilitate conversations, strengthen their communication style, and minimise harm when talking about vaping.

The session will feature a presentation by an Alcohol and Drug (AOD) Clinician from Access Health and Community, followed by a question and answer (Q and A) session with a panel of experts.

Our Mayor, Cr Deirdre Diamante, said she hoped the session would build parents’ confidence in talking about vaping with the young people in their lives.

“This is a serious health issue and, as a mother of teenagers, something that I sadly see a lot of amongst my children’s peers. I know that many parents, carers and even teachers often feel unsure how to approach the issue in a way that will encourage open and honest conversations.”

The seminar was inspired by growing community concern about the increasing number of young people using vapes and how easy it is to access them. Attendees at the Principals’ Breakfast in June last year (comprising, local school principals, wellbeing staff, community organisations in Manningham, and representatives of Manningham Youth Advisory Committee) ranked vaping as their biggest concern related to young people.

The upcoming seminar is just one of several of our initiatives tackling the issue of young people vaping. We also conduct regular educational visits to tobacco/e-cigarette retailers across the community to ensure they comply with their Tobacco Act responsibilities.  We also run a tobacco test purchasing program with the help of a person under 18 years of age.

Session details: Thursday 11 May, 7.00 to 8.30pm at the Manningham Function Centre.

Cost: $10 (concession), $15 (non-concession). Bookings essential.

Register your place at the parenting seminar: how to talk to young people about vaping.