This campaign we have been working on since 2019 and we officially launched it in September 2021. We had to damage control for the youth because it really affected them. It was definitely a learning lesson that when youth are willing to stand up for something positive, there will be other kids and even adults from both in and out of community who will react with negative comments.
We took it to the streets with big signs and spoke to shop owners, pleading with them about selling cigarettes' to underage child and to children who are wearing their school uniform. We can only do or say so much, without the backing of the community certain things will not work out.
The good part is those kids have major resilience, and they know that, despite the feedback, they did something positive. The lesson for them was that when you stand up for something, not everybody is going to like it and you won't always have 100% support from the community either. Those youth made real change in their community, something permanent, something that they can point to and see.
For us it was a win, we managed to top the sales of vape pens in the local and surrounding areas, asking shop owners to at least ask for documentation.
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