Hazel Park Community Coalition asks council for volunteers and highlights youth vaping rates

Shauna Williams, representing the Hazel Park Community Coalition, presented to the Hazel Park City Council on Feb. 10 about the coalition’s mission to reduce youth substance use through data-driven prevention strategies.

Williams said the coalition uses national frameworks (Community That Cares, Strategic Prevention Framework) and seven community-level strategies to implement programs in schools and the community. She described evidence-based offerings in local schools, including a nutrition-focused program called Nourish, a positive community norms training, and Catch My Breath, an evidence-based youth vaping prevention curriculum aligned to state education standards.

Williams told council members that survey data from the Michigan Youth Health survey (MiPHY/MiFi reference in transcript) showed vaping, tobacco and marijuana use among Hazel Park youth are higher than county averages; she identified the 2024 MiFi survey as the source and said the survey will run again in March. Williams asked the council and the public to help recruit a parent sector representative for the coalition’s board, to share prevention materials available on the coalition’s website, and to volunteer at upcoming events including an ice-rink event during winter break and a volleyball tournament.

In a follow-up exchange, Williams confirmed the MiFi survey as the data source and said she will distribute infographics and educational materials to council members and the public; she provided an email contact during the meeting.