The Passaic County Teen Summit was an interesting experience. The Summit was designed to empower students to make positive decisions relating to harmful substances and peer pressure while continuing to spread awareness. In our society today, many high school students face the challenge of battling their addiction to Vaping E-cigarettes. The summit successfully brought light to the dangers of vaping and how harmful they can be to our bodies. “Incorruptible Us” made an appearance to further explain the summit message. Incorruptible Us is a prevention action group to take a stand against the use of vapes and tobacco funded by the New Jersey Department of Health. Eileen Jacquez and Jad Alomari of Incorruptible Us informed listeners about how toxic the chemicals in e-cigarettes are. In one vape, there are chemicals found in paint, Lysol, nail polish remover, and gasoline. One vape is equal to 40 cigarettes. Dr. Matt Bellace, a comedian and motivational speaker, encouraged listeners to pursue natural highs and make healthy, smart choices. He then connected his personal experience to help educate listeners as well to interact with them to keep them engaged. All participating schools will have to create a video PSA that will communicate powerful messages relating to substance abuse prevention. Students from the participating schools will present their video projects on Thursday, June 1, 2023. We look forward to returning for the second part of the summit to present our video in the spring.
