Get Outraged!
Get Outraged! is a public information campaign in Massachusetts to bring attention to the tactics that the tobacco and vaping industries use to hook their next generation of customers: our kids. It’s first iteration was focused on flavored tobacco products, called Big Tobacco is Sweet Talking Our Kids. In 2018, it evolved into The New Look of Nicotine Addiction. This Toolkit is one part of that effort to reach parents and youth-serving adults with information and resources about vaping.
In April 2019, DPH launched Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers., a public information campaign to raise awareness among middle and high school-aged youth about the dangers of vaping. Information related to that campaign, its resources, and how to reach youth with the information is included in this toolkit, as the information and materials remain relevant. Previous campaign materials can be ordered for free through the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.
Facts. No Filters.
NEW – Facts. No Filters. is DPH’s recent campaign for youth (2021), developed in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. The campaign gives young people facts about the dangers of vaping, tips to help them talk with friends, and resources to quit. Learn more about the dangers of vaping and watch the videos at @GetTheVapeFacts on Instagram.
A corresponding parent education campaign, in English and Spanish, can be found at GetOutraged.org.
Ideas to use the youth campaign resources within your school/community-based organization
There are many ways that you can utilize the youth campaigns and their resources within your school, community-based organization, or healthcare practice. Below are just a few ideas that are also reinforced in various sections throughout the Toolkit.
- Reinforce adult education about the topic. The youth campaigns and materials are a great way to reinforce educating parents/guardians and staff in your organization about e-cigarettes. If you haven’t already done so, consider a presentation to these audiences with basic information around e-cigarettes. A sample presentation and guidance document for giving this presentation is being updated and will be included in the sections for School Administrators and for Curriculum Coordinators, Health Educators, and Teachers. You can also contact your local Tobacco-Free Community Partnership Program for presentations and information.
- Hang campaign posters. The Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers. posters were created to deliver messaging to youth. Consider hanging them throughout your building where they are visible. Ideas for placement include bathrooms, locker rooms, classrooms, counselor’s office, nurse’s office, coach’s office, bulletin boards, hallways, lunchroom walls, concession stands at school events, meeting rooms, etc.
- Hang fact clings. Each of the four main facts on the Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers poster are printed as small “clings” that adhere to windows, mirrors, doors, and other surfaces. Because young people reported during the campaign focus groups that school bathrooms are often a favored vaping location, the clings were developed with school bathrooms in mind—but they can be used in other areas of your organization’s building as well. Note: Once the clings are out of stock in the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse, they will not be re-printed.
- Distribute the campaign handout. A two-sided handout or fact sheet contains more facts about the dangers of vaping/using e-cigarettes as well as quit resources. The handout expands upon the four main facts in the Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers poster and fact clings and provides resources for youth. The handout can be used in a variety of ways such as a resource for youth in the counselors’ or nurse’s office, or as part of an assembly or health class on the topic of tobacco or other substance use prevention. The handout is available in English and Spanish.
- NEW – A brochure about quitting vaping was developed as a companion piece to the Nurse’s Guide (see section for school health services). However, this brochure can be a stand-alone piece to have available for youth in the counselors’ or nurse’s office. The brochure is available in English and Spanish.
All materials are available free of charge to Massachusetts residents and organizations by visiting the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse at www.mass.gov/maclearinghouse.
- Involve students and incorporate campaign messages in other school activities. There are many ways your organization can involve youth in disseminating the messages of the campaigns. One idea is to ask student groups or youth participants to assist in hanging the Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers posters and fact clings (e.g., 84 Chapter, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Key Club, or Student Council, etc.) or to play Facts. No Filters. campaign videos at group meetings and discuss them.
- To integrate the campaigns’ messages more fully throughout your school or organization, ideas include:
- Play the Facts. No Filters. campaign videos on monitors where appropriate.
- Use the campaigns’ facts as a part of morning/afternoon announcements or assemblies. Ask adult advisors to use them or the videos to prompt conversation at club/program meetings. The handout, facts, or youth vaping brochure can also be a topic of conversation with youth who meet with school counselors and nurses.
- Use the campaigns’ materials and themes to inspire:
- Plays or scenes in drama class or a production by the theatre department
- Art, music, or dance
- Essays, creative writing, or poetry
- Articles in the student newspaper or other publication, including a newsletter that is sent home to parents/guardians
- Word problems in mathematics or a science experiment
- Student-led conversations during classroom meetings/club meetings/lunch
- A supportive environment and resources for youth who are addicted to nicotine—let them know where they can go for help
What else you can do
If you use the campaigns’ materials and resources, consider the following:
- Let staff know in advance. By letting staff know in advance of utilizing the campaigns’ resources, there is time to educate them with more information about vaping and e-cigarettes, as well as your organizations’ policies and procedures about vaping. Teachers or program managers can incorporate the information into lesson plans. Staff can also be on the lookout for posters and clings to ensure they remain hung and are not vandalized and to preview videos so they know the messages and can incorporate them into lesson plans, etc.
- Communicate with parents/guardians about the campaign. Sample language for an email blast or newsletter is included in the section for School Administrators. Letting parents/guardians know that the campaigns’ resources are being utilized in your organization helps them prepare for conversations with youth at home. As mentioned earlier, it is also a good opportunity to provide adult-focused resources and information.
- See information for School Administrators about establishing a chapter of The 84 Movement, a statewide movement of youth fighting tobacco in Massachusetts.
- See information for Curriculum Coordinators, Health Educators, and Teachers for resources to update curriculum to address the harms of nicotine and e-cigarette use and for resources on relevant, youth friendly lesson plans.
- Middle Schools: Please see the information on Project Here. Facts. No Filters. was tested with middle-school aged youth and is appropriate for this age group.
- Update tobacco-related signage with signs for schools from the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse. The signage for schools includes both e-cigarette language and imagery.
Review the Toolkit in its entirety for additional information and resources on student use of e-cigarettes and other vaping products, including cessation resources for teens. If you have questions or comments about the Vapes and Cigarettes: Different Products. Same Dangers. or Facts. No Filters. campaigns and materials, please contact your local Tobacco-Free Community Partnership Program or the Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program.