Ash Wales Communicate, Collaborate, Celebrate; Conference 2010

Plenary Speakers

Miss Melanie OwensHealth Improvement Practitioner – Tobacco - NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Smoke Free Youth Services

Abstract Title: W-WEST (Why Waste Everything Smoking Tobacco) A Youth Advocacy Group

W-WEST (Why Waste Everything Smoking Tobacco?) is Scotland’s first pro-choice smoking information group led by and for young people. The group was formed by Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board in response to growing evidence from groups such as ‘D-MYST’, ‘Reality Check’ and ‘Truth Campaign’ that such initiatives can have success in influencing tobacco control policy and young people’s attitudes to smoking and smoking behaviour. In November 2008, a 2 day youth led peer training and recruitment event was held in Glasgow in conjunction with D-MYST. Following the event 13 young people formed W-WEST, developing their own brand identity and interactive website. Currently W-WEST’s youngest member is 13 & the oldest member is 18.

W-WEST aims to give young people the information they need to make choices about smoking, to de-normalise & de-glamorise smoking & the tobacco industry and to influence tobacco control policy at a local and national level.

The official launch of W-WEST was in June 2009. Alongside the launch, W-WEST carried out a campaign around under-counter tobacco products and why this is an important issue in preventing young people from taking up smoking.

The group have now turned their attention to raising awareness of how the tobacco industry uses marketing & ‘cool’ packaging to attract young smokers to their brands. The campaign is entitled ‘The Plain Truth’ & was launched on 31st May, coinciding with World No Tobacco Day. W-West have collaborated with the University of Stirling to produce a survey aiming to help inform the Scottish and UK Government of the impact that tobacco packaging has on young people.

W-WEST has previously won ASH Scotland’s Crofton Award in recognition of their innovative work to raise awareness of smoking with young people. They were also nominated in the Health category of the Young Scot Awards 2010.

Author Biography:

Melanie has a degree in Community Education from the University of Strathclyde and a background in community development and youth work. Melanie currently works within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Smoke Free Youth Services which includes supporting the development of the W-WEST Youth Advocacy Group, developing the Smoke Free School Programmes and participating in the Youth Tobacco Action Group, which aims to support a board wide approach to tacking youth smoking and changing youth smoking behaviours.