Win $1,000 for creating the new Youth Myki Card!

With free public transport for young people aged 17 years and under on 1 January 2026, let their imagination run free! Create and explore a design for the new Youth Myki Card and they could win a $1,000 Visa gift card. All Victorians aged 5 to 17 are invited to design the new Youth Myki Card! Whether it’s hand-drawn or digital, we’re looking for original, creative designs that capture the spirit of young Victorians. Entries close 15 June 2025. All competition details can be found on the Engage Victoria website.

www.engage.vic.gov.au/youthmyki

World No Tobacco Day

North Geelong Secondary College held an event on Friday, May 30, to acknowledge World No Tobacco Day. This year’s theme focused on exposing how tobacco and nicotine companies attempt to make their products appealing, especially to young people. These companies use sweet flavours, bright packaging, and clever marketing strategies to entice individuals into using harmful products. During the event, a group of Year 12 students proudly launched the vaping prevention campaign they had been working on.

In July 2024, the City of Greater Geelong’s Youth Team applied for, and received, a VicHealth grant to support work that aims to:

• Increase awareness of the harms of vaping among young people and increase their capability to reject vaping.
• Reduce exposure to vaping and vaping products among young people.
• Increase community capability to address vaping among young people.

During Terms 1 and 2, the Year 12 students collaborated with the City of Greater Geelong Youth Team, the Secondary School Nurse, and CatholicCare to develop a proposal aimed at preventing or reducing vaping among students. In Term 1, NGSC hosted a pitch event where participants could present their ideas to the school community and then vote for their favourite concept. The winning project focused on educating each year level about the dangers of vaping. Students believed that the best way to deter young people from using vapes is to provide them with information about the harmful ingredients and effects of vaping, empowering them to make informed choices. The delivery of this information will take place in the classroom, where students can engage in activities, watch short videos, and participate in discussions to explore their thoughts, ideas, and questions together.

The Year 12 group created two short animations that combined everyone's ideas. One animation focused on the ingredients found in vapes, while the other highlighted the harms of vaping. Students developed the scripts and concepts for these videos, which were then brought to life by a local animator. The animations were showcased during the World No Tobacco Day event. They were designed to be brief and engaging to effectively educate students. Additionally, these animations will be accompanied by an in-class activity and discussion guide, which are currently in development.

In addition to the animations and activities, Raquel from Barwon Health’s Be Smokefree clinic was interviewed and recorded. This resource will provide valuable information on how students can access support and where they can find help. It will serve as the final video in the North Geelong Secondary College project.

At the end of the launch, students involved in the project received certificates for their participation.

During the World No Tobacco Day event, various student projects were showcased. This included the Koori Way Program, in which Year 7 and 8 First Nations students participated over five weeks during Term 1. Other projects highlighted included the Year 7's Vaping Prevention Assertive and Refusal Skills campaign, Year 9's "Seeing Through the Haze" campaign, and the Year 12 focus on the impacts of smoking and vaping on health status.