Vaping, Vanessa La Monaca Wexford, Branden Carrier……………………………………………………………….……308

Vaping

Vanessa LaMonaca

Vapes are devices used to inhale liquified nicotine in a discrete way with no smoke taste or smell associated with their use. Vaping is an incredibly common word and practice among adolescents, particularly high schoolers (Martinelli, 2022). The devices weren’t originally meant for high school adolescents to get a hold of, as they were created as a “healthier” alternative to smoking and a tool for adults to use to try and kick the habit (Leone, 2018). However, vapes are now being marketed towards youth with their alluring and wide selection of flavours, from mint to fruity pebbles cereal. Youth are justifying the practice due to the alleged perks to vaping – it’s “better” than smoking cigarettes, the pods look sleek and technologically appealing, they can be used secretly indoors, there is no bad taste or smell (the opposite due to infused flavours), it’s easy to charge with any USB port, and there is little to no FDA regulation making them easy to acquire (Leone, 2018; Less et al., 2021; Thomas, 2020). Due to these justifications, vaping has become a widespread and normalized practice among adolescents, making it a part of the modern teenage experience (Thomas, 2020). The devices have become a status symbol among teenagers. Their use is now a social activity, and when teens want to appear cool to their friends they will partake in vaping around them. Less et al., (2021) reported that the perceived normalization of vaping is the main reason youth take up the activity, stating that many teenagers want to be seen as cool and popular by their peers. More alarmingly however, adolescents tend to ignore or not acknowledge the associated risks of vaping (Martinelli, 2022). Due to the lack of smoke odour and various flavours, teenagers don’t associate the harms of nicotine or cigarettes with vapes, despite one vape cartridge having roughly the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes (Leone, 2018). Vaping is associated with an increased heart rate, inflamed lungs, and altered brain development.

It can affect a teenager’s memory, concertation, personality, and emotional regulation, and can even poison teenagers due to the high concertation of liquified nicotine in vapes (Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, 2021). Vaping has also caused collapsed lungs and mouth sores (Less et al., 2021). Even so, youth still ignore the dangers of vaping in pursuit of popularity or “coolness” (Martinelli, 2020). This is disconcerting when considering the impact vapes have on adolescents and their health. It is obvious adolescents will prioritize anything that will appear cool to their friends and fit in, harming themselves in the process. This is why I wanted to approach my keyword infographic in a satirical manner. I wanted to illustrate the rationale behind adolescents’ thought processes when using vapes, despite the harm they cause to their health. Adolescents are able to improve their social status by ignoring their health or the concerns over vaping. Realizing what is causing adolescents to vape and their perception of the devices as safe, cool, and undetectable is fueling their widespread use. Understanding and addressing these misconceptions would be the first step in moving adolescents away from vapes and their dangers and promoting healthy practices in youth. References

Leone, S. (2018, October 24). “Question of the week: Why is vaping so popular with teens? Daily American.

https://www.dailyamerican.com/story/entertainment/2018/10/24/question-of-the-weekwhy-is-vaping-so-popular-with-teens/116174168/ Less, E.L., Mady, M., Beckman, K. J., & Kingsbury, J. H. (2021). “If Someone Has It, I’m Gonna Hit It”: Lessons Learned From Minnesota Teens About Vaping. Health Promotion Practice, 15248399211045353–15248399211045353. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248399211045353

Martinelli, K. (2022, October 20). Teen Vaping: What you need to know. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/teen-vaping-what-you-need-to-know/ Thomas, J. (2020, April 24). Why do so many teens vape? Rally. https://www.rallyhealth.com/quit-smoking/why-do-so-many-teens-vape# Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. (2021, December 13). What effects does vaping have on

health? https://www.wechu.org/substance-use-harm-reduction-vaping/what-effects-doesvaping-have-health

Wexford

Branden Carrier

The word “Wexford” typically refers to a location in Ireland, however, in this instance it refers to a highschool in the east end of the city of Toronto called, Wexford Collegiate School For The Arts. This word is applicable to youth as a concept, a concept of what a school can be for its students. In this case the school is a safe haven for those that often feel like pariahs amongst the ever present stereotypical adolescents. Patrick Osborne, in the article, Social Bonding as Salvation in Glee, refers to the glee club as a safe haven for those who are often ostracised due to difference (111-12). Weirdly enough Wexford was sometimes referred to as the “real life Glee”. During my time (2008-12) there were so many different aspects of adolescence represented within the school. The school served an amazing function for the attending adolescents mental health and well being. Some students came into the school as transfers who were being bullied at their prior highschool and had been transferred to Wexford for mental health reasons. To elaborate as well during the time I attended the school I cannot remember a single instance of bullying within the school, a fairly large drug problem though also existed so the school was not without its faults. The school also had an abnormally large number of LGBTQ members within its roster of students; and being in Scarborough it was also diverse in race. In fact some students even at that time were openly trans and were accepted by the students and faculty. Non-hetero relationships were incredibly common within the school, the student body was made up predominantly of open minded individuals and many outside of stereotypical norms themselves. By the school being this way it provided a safe community in which adolescents could be themselves without fear of rejection, aggression or repercussions. The mental health within the school seemed quite high probably because the student body was not hiding personal or sexual aspects of themselves. As Osborne discusses in the article the use of clubs to build a sense of community and belonging for adolescents who are different from the stereotypical expectations can find relief in clubs, and the community that comes with them. Wexford had these in abundance as well, whether it was niche common interests or something as vague as the ‘Gay Straight Alliance’. The club was an all encompassing club that accepted all members of the school at any time regardless of anything about them. The club served as a smaller community within the school that did all kinds of things from group trips to places like the ROM, art galleries, sporting events or movies. It also had a standard meet up everyday at the school providing a place to go during the lunch hour and watch movies or play board games. As a concept the idea of this school could represent a haven for adolescents and perhaps serve as a blueprint for creating an accepting school community for those who do not always conform to the stereotypical societal standards. Works Cited and other links

Osborne, Patrick. “Finding ‘Glee’ in a High School Hell: Social Bonding as Salvation for the Adolescent Pariah.” Studies in Popular Culture, vol. 37, no. 1, 2014, pp. 111–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24332703. Accessed 5 Nov. 2022 Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts (wexfordcsa.ca).