Breathe Free Westside

Breathe Free Westside is CUYFD's campaign to prevent tobacco and vaping among young people on Detroit's Westside. The campaign combines school programs, youth-led education, public messaging, and community events. Follow the campaign at #BreatheFreeWestside.

Vape disposal boxes in schools

Vaping devices are hazardous waste and can't go in the trash. CUYFD installs secure disposal boxes in Westside schools, trains staff, and disposes of confiscated devices through the City of Detroit's Household Hazardous Waste facility. Current sites are Mumford High School, Bethune Elementary Middle School, Renaissance High School, and A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical Center.

School Partnerships

Thrive Up Pathways

An alternative to suspension that gives students caught vaping education and support instead of time out of school. Visit the school partnerships page for more info.

Youth-led education

Our Youth Advisory Council creates anti-vaping messages and presents to their peers at schools and at the annual Youth and Teen Summit. In August 2026, CUYFD youth hosted a tobacco prevention table and recorded a PSA at our Summer Community Cookout.

Public messaging

From mid-July through the end of August 2026, Breathe Free Westside ran for six weeks on four digital billboards along freeways that cross Detroit’s Westside: two on the Lodge (M-10), one on the Jeffries (I-96), and one on the Southfield (M-39). The four boards reached an estimated 1.3 million impressions a week, or about 7.9 million over the six-week run. The billboards shared tobacco and vaping prevention messages with the drivers, families, and young people who travel these roads every day.

Advocacy

CUYFD joined community partners and youth leaders at a press conference opposing a cigar lounge at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. In May 2024, CUYFD hosted a Town Hall on Tobacco and Vaping at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church with U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Wayne County Commissioner Monique Baker McCormick.

Help quitting

Teens under 18: My Life, My Quit offers free, confidential coaching. Text "Start My Quit" to 36072 or call 855-891-9989.
Adults: The Michigan Tobacco Quitlink offers free coaching 24/7. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).