Queanbeyan High students the face of new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander anti-smoking ad

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The Butt Out Boondah campaign targets young people across the Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma and Goulburn regions.

Spearheading the campaign is a TV ad that features Queanbeyan High students.

The ad draws upon the power of Indigenous culture and caring for country, making the link that if young people smoke or vape, they are not properly caring for themselves as individuals.

Instead of focusing on the individual, the ad asks youth to instead stop smoking or vaping for something that they do care about - country.

As of 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples accounted for 26.4 per cent of people who smoked tobacco within Australia.

Tackling Indigenous Smoking Officer Justine Brown said the program wanted to make a difference through being 'culturally responsive.'

"Through a culturally responsive approach, we wanted to create an environment where our community members living in Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma and Goulburn feel supported and accepted throughout their smoking cessation journey," she explained.

Queanbeyan High School Principal Jennifer Green said she was proud of students stepping up and taking action.

"We are very proud of our students making such strong and smart choices for themselves and our community," she said.

"This group of students are strong in their culture and their participation in a program that gives back to the community is inspiring for the many younger children in our area."

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