W-WEST – Tobacco youth advocacy group

Author and presenter:
Kirsten Donald
Health Improvement Practitioner (Smoke Free Schools), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, UK

Abstract
W-WEST (Why Waste Everything Smoking Tobacco?) is Scotland’s first pro-choice smoking information and advocacy group led by and for young people. Funded by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde the group launched in 2009 and have successfully created their own recognisable brand and interactive website in order to provide young people with the real facts about smoking and the tobacco industry. In July 2009 W-WEST held a series of events across the board area to raise awareness of the group and the issue of out of sight cigarette sales. Winners of ASH Scotland and REHIS Crofton Award in 2009, the group are currently launching their new campaign entitled ‘The Plain Truth’ which aims to raise awareness of how tobacco companies use branding and attractive packaging to attract young smokers to their product. W-WEST are working in collaboration with the Centre for Tobacco Control Research at the University of Stirling on this project in order to support academic research in the field and increase public and political support for the adoption of plain packaging by the tobacco industry. The presentation will aim to showcase the work and success of W-WEST and will involve input from the young people themselves throughout.

Source of funding: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Declaration of interest: none