Proven Teen Vaping & Smoking Cessation Program, N-O-T, Coming to Manchester Community Library

MANCHESTER, VT May 27, 2025  – The Manchester Community Library (MCL), in conjunction with The Collaborative (TC), is launching Not On Tobacco (N-O-T), a proven teen smoking and vaping cessation program. This free, drop-in group for teens (ages 13 – 19) will meet on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month, from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., in the Hunter Community Room.

Tobacco use remains a critical public health issue, with 95% of users starting before age 21. In Vermont, 18% of high school students reported recent tobacco use in the 2023 Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). N-O-T aims to address this growing problem by providing teens with resources to address nicotine dependency and find healthy alternatives.

Under Vermont Department of Health’s Tobacco Grant, TC and MCL are partnering to offer this vaping and tobacco cessation support for youth in the community. Carson Schafer, Children and Youth Services Librarian at MCL, recently completed the  N-O-T facilitator training. “My interest in this training originated from wanting to offer a safe space to reach teenagers who may be struggling with these issues”, said Schafer. “I was particularly impressed with N-O-T’s reflective approach and focus on mental health.”

How and where to host this cessation program was a direct result of student feedback gathered through The Collaborative’s Resilience through Understanding® (RTU) program. RTU Program Director Natalie Philpot stated, “through years of assessment of RTU participants and caring adults, it became obvious that young people were clamoring for a judgement-free space to ask questions and receive critical resources and information without the fear of getting into trouble. By offering N-O-T at the library, we are putting our community’s needs into action and offering a space to engage in cessation or just drop in and ask questions.”

The N-O-T program was designed with teenagers in mind and focuses on physical activity, nutrition, and improving life skills such as stress management, decision making, coping and interpersonal skills. Participants will explore their reasons for smoking or vaping, identify healthy alternatives, and build a support framework to aid their efforts to quit. The program has a near 90% success rate in helping participants cut back or quit tobacco use, leading to improved grades, higher motivation, and fewer school tobacco use policy violations.

For more information, email cschafer@mclvt.org or alice@thecollaborative.us. The Collaborative (thecollaborative.us), is a 501c3 non-profit organization with the mission of empowering healthy youth, families, and communities and has been operating in Windham, Windsor, and Bennington counties for over 25 years.