Fresh Take

Vaping among young Australians has risen sharply, with 9.7% of 14-17 year olds using e-cigarettes in 2022-23, up from 1.8% in 2019. Research confirmed that punitive school-based approaches and adult-directed health messaging consistently failed to resonate with young people. Creative, peer-generated content, shaped by the voices and experiences of young people themselves, was demonstrably more effective at driving behaviour change. The challenge was to develop a health promotion model capable of meeting young people on their own terms, earning their trust, and building the creative capacity for them to design campaigns that would speak authentically to their communities.

Your Creative partnered with youth workers, health promotion teams, and students across five local government areas to co-design Fresh Take over nine months. The model centres three components: a youth-shaped brand, a purpose-built digital hub, and a structured workshop program. From day one, participants shaped the project's identity and voice. Fresh Take was developed in direct consultation with young people to feel bold, flexible, and expressive, channelling the energy of a festival of ideas. Workshop One created space for discovery; Workshop Two moved into specialist Creation Zones where students produced work across posters, videos, podcasts, spoken word, and installations.

Over nine months, 130 secondary school students across eight schools produced more than 40 campaigns spanning posters, songs, podcasts, skate decks, and digital content. Work was exhibited through a purpose-built digital platform, street poster installations, and Plakkit displays across five participating councils, with a public launch event attended by students, families, health partners, and local dignitaries. The digital exhibition at freshtake.online remains live, giving student work an ongoing public presence beyond the campaign period. A published Implementation Guide codifies the co-design methodology for replication.

The Fresh Take brand was designed with participants. Before a single campaign asset was produced, students voted to shape the project's visual identity and tone, ensuring the brand carried authentic authority with its audience from the outset.Five co-design principles governed every decision. Young people were positioned as creators rather than targets. Messaging was built around values and lived experience rather than fear. The Power of 10 principle oriented the program around peer ripple effects rather than broadcast reach. Structured warm-ups and clear briefs created safe entry points for all confidence levels. Data tracking across both the digital platform and in-person workshops ensured the model could be evaluated and improved over time.The purpose-built digital hub at freshtake.online was central to both; process and outcome. During the program, it served as a live resource centre, mentorship channel, and submission portal. On completion, it became a permanent digital exhibition, extending the reach and longevity of student work beyond the physical campaign. Street poster installations and council-wide Plakkit displays brought that work into public space across South-East Melbourne, giving participants a real audience for campaigns made entirely in their own voice.