Our Partners

The Vermont Tobacco Control Youth Leadership Council works alongside the Vermont Department of Health Tobacco Control team to create positive change in schools and communities. The 12-member council is selected through an application process every spring. Youth, grades 6 - 12, bring their voices to the forefront of tobacco prevention efforts in Vermont. 

Students receive expense reimbursement and stipends, not to exceed $1,400, for their time and participation. 

Applications will be available in early 2025. For more information, visit UnhypedVT.com or email [email protected].

This group works closely with our grantees and other partners, community leaders and legislators to promote and implement programs and policies that reduce tobacco use in Vermont. Specifically, they’re pivotal in passing smoke-free and other tobacco prevention laws, tobacco taxes and other policies.

Learn more about the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont

Vermont’s Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative was a partnership of Vermont colleges, universities, community coalitions and the Vermont Department of Health to support the health of our communities of higher learning. Through this initiative, all public colleges and universities, and nearly all private colleges in Vermont, are now smoke-free.

Learn more about Vermont’s Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative

We fund tobacco prevention community grantees that work with various partners, such as schools, healthcare organizations, state and local government, nonprofits, businesses and media, to prevent and reduce tobacco use and exposure in their communities. Through their efforts, strong tobacco-free social norms have been shaped and protective measures passed. The coalitions serve Vermonters all around the state.

Some examples of grantee initiatives include:

• Working with towns to make public places, multi-unit housing, parks and beaches smoke-free
• Collaborating with youth groups to educate communities about the impact the tobacco and vape industries have on youth and young adults
• Promoting the benefits of passing ordinances and updating town plans and zoning districts to reduce the impact of tobacco in local communities
• Helping businesses and behavioral health facilities incorporate tobacco-free policies
• Collaborating with underserved populations, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ people, to make sure their voices are heard and represented

Read our Success Stories

Over the past two decades, our program has partnered with the Agency of Education to support the local chapters of Our Voices Xposed (OVX), for high school-aged youth leaders, and Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT), for middle school youth leaders.

Some OVX and VKAT accomplishments:

• Smoke and vape free park initiatives
• Grassroots events designed to bring attention to the problem of tobacco advertising 
• Annual Youth Statehouse Rally with presentations to legislators on protections to reduce youth tobacco initiation
• Youth-focused My Life My Quit treatment kits to assist peers in quitting vaping and other forms of tobacco use 

See fiscal year 2024 OVX and VKAT project highlights.

Learn more about OVX and VKAT.

We collaborate with local chapters of national organizations that support tobacco control and prevention through research, resources, practice improvement and advocacy.

• Vermont Public Health Association
• American Lung Association
• American Heart Association
• American Cancer Society
• American Association of Pediatrics
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

We also partner with the Agency of Human Services and others to address tobacco-related disparities.

As an example, we worked with the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) to provide reimbursements for counseling provided by clinicians and tobacco treatment specialists, including referrals to 802quits.org.

Via this partnership, information was mailed directly to health care providers and to people insured by Medicaid, resulting in higher quit tool orders and increased calls to the Vermont Quitline. From 2013 to 2018, the proportion of ever smokers who became former smokers in the past year (Quit Ratio) more than doubled, while smoking declined from 36% to 29% among Medicaid-insured adults. This includes a 2% decline in smoking between 2017 and 2018 alone. In 2019, VT was expected to save $12 million dollars in Medicaid spending as a result of the 2% absolute decline in smoking from 2017 to 2018.

Additionally, we meet regularly with our state and local government partners to share information, research and data, provide trainings and materials, explore health care policy and tailor outreach.

We regularly partner with:

• Local health offices, including the WIC program
• Agency of Education
• Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA)
• Department of Mental Health
• Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL)
• Department of Liquor and Lottery
• Department of Taxes
• Office of the Attorney General
• Vermont Care Partners
• Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP)

We collaborate with several community-based organizations to reach populations that are especially vulnerable to the health impacts of tobacco or have above average rates of tobacco use. Working with organizations that have an established relationship and direct access to certain populations allow us to better serve all Vermonters. 

Our partners have included:

• Vermont Afterschool is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to ensuring all young Vermonters are active, engaged, connected, and heard.
• The Pride Center, which works to support the health of the LGBTQ community. Learn more about the Pride Center and its work, plus the important efforts strengthening the network and health of LGBTQ youth at Outright Vermont.
• The AHS Abenaki Equity Workgroup, which provides important input and recommendations to the Tobacco Program’s work, including campaign messaging on commercial tobacco.
• NAACP Windham County, which helps reach the BIPOC community and reduces community health disparities related to tobacco exposure.
• The USCRI VT Field Office (formerly known as the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program), which works with New Americans and refugees coming into the state and links to wellness resources, including 802Quits. Discover more about USCRI’s work in Vermont.
• Regional planning and zoning committees across the state, that can help influence community and town planning and design to keep areas free of smoke and tobacco.
• Green Mountain Advocates, which provide technical assistance and training to improve the accessibility of the Tobacco Program’s materials and meetings.