Leederville Tafe students work with Cancer Council WA to highlight dangers of smoking

STUDENTS at North Metropolitan Tafe in Leederville are highlighting the damage smoking can cause in a new partnership with Cancer Council WA.

The education project, which is part of the Make Smoking History campaign, aims to reduce smoking among young people at the Tafe, through the help of students.

An information session run by students was held yesterday to educate others on campus about the harms of smoking.

Cancer Council WA Make Smoking History co-ordinator Emily Box said working with the Tafe was part of a broader strategy to build information and support people wishing to quit.

“The fact students are in control of planning and running this event is a real positive and we are particularly excited about their potential to de-normalise smoking amongst their peers,” she said.

“Working with the Career Start class in particular is a pilot project to identify opportunities to build tobacco control into the Tafe curriculum, to raise people’s awareness of the issues associated with tobacco use and increase their access to support if they choose to quit using tobacco.”

North Metropolitan Tafe youth programs lecturer Rebecca Bull said the program demonstrates each student’s ability to design, implement and review a project and draws on methods from the reality TV series The Apprentice Australia, where students were tasked with appointing a project manager and holding weekly meetings to track progress.

“Several of the Career Start students’ families had been affected by smoking through lung cancer, so they didn’t need much encouragement to participate in a program that would raise awareness of such a critical health issue,” she said.