A new initiative has been launched to create smoke-free environments for children and young people in Galway City and County. The Not Around Us initiative helps to denormalise smoking for the next generation and is another step towards a Tobacco Free Galway. It also aims to create an environment where it is easier for those who smoke to quit, and stay quit. Healthy Galway City and Galway Children and Young People’s Services Committee (CYPSC ) are leading the Not Around Us initiative for Galway.
The purpose of Not Around Us is to:
Help protect children and young people from second-hand smoke exposure.
Contribute to the denormalisation of smoking for children and young people.
Reduce environmental nuisance, cost of cleaning and damage that discarded tobacco products create.
Signpost to HSE QUIT services.
Collaboration is central to the implementation of Not Around Us. Healthy Galway City and Galway CYPSC are working in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including the HSE, Healthy Galway County, Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Galway City Comhairle na nÓg, Youth Work Ireland Galway, Galway Childcare Committee, Galway City Partnership, Croí, and Galway Public Libraries.
“Galway City Comhairle na nÓg Committee, as the representative voice of young people in Galway City, are pleased to support the Not Around Us campaign to help create smoke free environments for young people”, said Deirdre Bermingham, Coordinator of Galway City Comhairle na nÓg.
Morgan Mee, Coordinator Galway CYPSC, is asking “organisations across Galway to help children and young people grow-up without seeing smoking as a normal behaviour by displaying Not Around Us signage and moving smoking away from the places where children and young people are likely to be. We are not asking people to quit smoking; we are just asking them to be mindful of where they smoke”.
How to get involved- Get your free signage
Not Around Us signage will be made available free of charge to interested not for profit groups or organisations, schools, and early years services. Interested services and organisations should go to healthygalwaycity.ie/tobacco-free to get more information and to download the Expression of Interest from.
“Not Around Us has been successfully implemented in five pilot sites in Galway City to date, with a very positive response. We are now looking forward to expanding the initiative across the City and County in the coming months” said Ashling Jennings, Healthy Galway City Coordinator with Galway City Partnership.
The initiative, which is funded through the Healthy Ireland Fund, supports the implementation of the national Tobacco Free Ireland policy as it seeks to denormalise smoking and protect children and young people.
Evelyn Fanning, (HSE Health Promotion and Improvement ) said that “the HSE is delighted to support the Not Around Us initiative as an important part of promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Creating smoke free environments enables children to grow up seeing and experiencing a positive healthy environment as a normal part of their everyday life. The initiative also helps to raise awareness of the risks of smoking and second-hand smoke and encourages smokers to think about quitting and access the supports available”.
For information and support to quit smoking, visit QUIT.ie or contact QUIT Smoking West by phone 091 737262 or email [email protected].
