Break the Vape Challenge
The Break the Vape Challenge was a public service announcement (PSA) video contest for Windsor and Essex County students in grades 6 to 12. The purpose of the Challenge was to engage students and provide them with an opportunity to use their voice to learn about and raise awareness of the dangers of vaping. Prizes were awarded to students for the top voted videos, and to publicly funded schools with the highest participation rates. Over 2,700 votes determined the winning videos.
The challenge ran between February and March of 2024. A total of 98 video submissions were received: 57 for the elementary grade 6 to 8 division and 41 for the secondary school grade 9 to 12 division. The submissions were from 238 students, representing 27 different schools in Windsor-Essex County. The winning PSA videos were promoted on digital and social media platforms. Through these Break the Vape ads, the six winning videos have received a total of almost 36,000 views on YouTube. On Facebook and Instagram, the ads generated over 352,000 views, resulting in almost 6,500 visits to the Break the Vape webpage.
Monitoring Food Affordability and Household Food Insecurity
The Ontario Nutritious Food Basket is a tool to measure the cost of healthy eating across the province. On an annual basis, public health units survey local grocery stores using a predetermined list of foods to find the average monthly cost to feed a family of four. In May of 2024, the WECHU surveyed eleven stores across Windsor and Essex County, finding the average cost to be $1,188.01.
Utilizing the data collected, the Monitoring food affordability in Windsor Essex report was presented at the September Board of Health meeting. As a result of that meeting, a Board of Health resolution was created to support income responses to addressing food insecurity. This resolution was put forward at the December meeting and passed unanimously. Letters to both the federal and provincial government will be created to advocate for income responses to food insecurity.