Community Champions: Law Enforcement & Youth Led Community Initiatives/Vaping Awareness
School Resource Officers are well placed to help students become leaders in their communities, and they are often among the first adults to see the effects of youth vaping. This combined training brings together two connected goals: building trust-based youth and law enforcement partnerships, and understanding the vaping trends affecting today’s students so those partnerships can support prevention, connection, and long-term community well-being.
The first part of the training focuses on how to design and sustain youth mentoring and engagement programs that bring students and law enforcement together in meaningful partnerships. Topics include program design, organizational structure, financial management, and guidance on creating and managing a nonprofit entity to support long-term funding and operations. Participants will leave with a range of practical program ideas and adaptable models for school and community settings. Through guided discussions, hands-on activities, and collaborative community projects, participants will learn strategies that help youth build leadership, responsibility, and conflict-resolution skills. This portion emphasizes open dialogue, positive relationship-building, and empowering young people to become active contributors to safer, healthier schools and communities.
The second part of the training applies that foundation to one of the most pressing issues facing students today. Vaping is among the most common forms of substance use among students, and the devices keep getting smaller, more discreet, and more potent. Participants will learn about the range of products popular with young people, from disposable e-cigarettes and pod systems to devices made to look like highlighters, smartwatches, USB drives, and hoodie drawstrings. The session covers what’s inside these devices, including high concentrations of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals, as well as the growing use of vapes to deliver THC and hemp-derived products like delta-8. Participants will also examine how nicotine and THC affect the developing adolescent brain, including effects on attention, learning, mood, anxiety, and the likelihood of addiction. The session closes by connecting this knowledge back to youth engagement, including ways to involve students as peer leaders in vaping prevention.