No daft questions: creating safe spaces to talk about vaping

Renfrew YMCA is an organisation that supports children and young people aged 0 to 17, delivering early intervention support and needs led projects to address issues within their local community.

Building on their established youth work model, Renfrew YMCA delivered a monthly workshop series designed to raise awareness of the harms of vaping and support young people to make informed choices.

Youth led workshops

Following the success of an initial session, Renfrew YMCA ran a monthly workshop series for young people aged 10-17, with each session building on the previous one. This approach allowed for continuous learning, reflection and reinforcement of key messages over time.

The workshops were delivered as a drop in style format, creating a relaxed and inclusive environment that encouraged participation. Young people were given opportunities to ask questions anonymously, helping to create a safe space where “no question was a daft question”.

Sessions included:

• Education on the harms of vaping and what substances vapes contain
• Discussions around peer pressure and decision-making
• Activities promoting healthier coping strategies, such as mindfulness, stress management and understanding nutrition

Ongoing Engagement and Reflection

Youth workers captured informal observations and insights during sessions to monitor engagement and behaviour change. These reflections highlighted increasing participation, a clearer understanding of vaping-related harms, and growing confidence among young people as the programme became embedded into regular delivery.

The structured and ongoing nature of the workshops allowed learning to develop over time, rather than relying on one-off interventions.

Outcomes and Impact

The project engaged 210 young people across Renfrewshire. Feedback from participants highlighted increased awareness of vaping harms, as well as improved confidence in making healthier choices.

Young people reported a better understanding of what goes into vapes, greater awareness of the financial and emotional impacts of vaping, and increased confidence in resisting peer pressure. Some also noted improvements in concentration at school and a stronger sense of control over their choices.

The project demonstrates the effectiveness of using a youth work approach to deliver health messages in a way that is engaging, relatable and responsive to young people’s needs. By creating a safe and supportive environment, Renfrew YMCA enabled open conversations about vaping and supported young people to build the knowledge and skills needed to make healthier choices.

As the programme becomes embedded into regular delivery, it continues to show increasing engagement, stronger learning outcomes and lasting impact for young people across Renfrewshire.