From Camouflage to College: Understanding Student Veterans' Tobacco Control Needs

Audience: Regardless of the level of tobacco control experience, anyone who has Student Veterans in their community will benefit from this presentation.

Key Points: Young adults have very high tobacco use rates. Military service members have even higher tobacco use rates. As military service members continue to return home, leave the military, and take advantage of their GI Bill benefits, more and more are entering college campuses across the nation. Student Veterans provide tobacco control professionals with specific tobacco cessation demands and unique challenges. Through an innovative, yet easily replicated partnership, Project UNIFORM has developed resources and practices that are useful to anyone working with Student Veterans.

Educational Experience: Through interactive dialogue and activity, the audience will learn how to be more inclusive of Student Veterans as well as better understand how to address the unique challenges posed by this ever-growing population.

Benefits: A lively and interactive discussion will take place to help participants apply the presenters' experiences to their current or future work with Student Veterans. Based on an innovative, yet easily replicated partnership, this presentation will provide participants with an opportunity to learn how to effectively provide tobacco cessation services to Student Veterans. Additionally, participants will learn how to successfully educate their campus community on the unique needs of Student Veterans as well as be inclusive of this often overlooked population in policy work and community outreach. Participants will benefit from the relevant programmatic experience as well as the distinctive and transferable perspective the presenters showcase.