Paul Graham, an after degree student at the University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing, secures micro-grant from Health Canada. The grant will support Vaping Awareness, Prevention and an Empowerment Program to combat youth vaping in schools.
"If you don't try you'll never know": it's a common aphorism, and particularly true for academics of all stripes looking for funding. Paul Graham, an after degree student at the University of Alberta Faculty of Nursing, applied on behalf of NURS 433 students for a vaping awareness micro-grant that he came across, and was pleasantly surprised when his application was approved.
The $1000 micro-grant from Health Canada is part of a $600,000 fund under its Substance Use and Addiction Program, to support and encourage community-led cannabis and vaping awareness initiatives. The micro-grant fund aims to assist public education projects in disseminating accurate information to Canadians from sources they trust within the community so they can make educated decisions about their health.
"My hope for this program is that we can provide youth with factual information they need to make their best choices," explained Graham.
Graham was part of a community health nursing course. Under the leadership of teaching professor, Kerry Rusk, these students formed a partnership with Edmonton Police Service to combat youth vaping through advocacy and educational campaigns.
The Youth V.A.P.E (Vaping Awareness, Prevention & Empowerment) Program is drawing awareness to the growing issue of youth vaping and flavoured nicotine product use in schools. This program hopes to pave the way for future collaborations and legislative changes through educational campaigns.
The students and instructors involved in the Edmonton-based project will use clinical community health hours to canvas local schools alongside the School Resource Officers and educate youth on the health risks and consequences of vaping through presentations and resource materials.
They plan to use the micro-grant that Graham secured to develop professional materials and resources, host parent teacher nights, reimburse experts involved in the presentations, and any other activities that will support the growth of the Youth V.A.P.E Program.