DOWAGIAC — This week, one Dowagiac school is inviting the public to take part in a training geared toward protecting the health of the community’s youth.

At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dowagiac Middle School, 57072 Riverside Dr., will host a community training to learn more about the topic of teen vaping and the dangers it can pose to minors. The free program is being presented by Michael Deleon, who is the founder of Steered Straight and one of the most booked school presenters in the country.

Teen vaping use is on the rise, with 37 percent of high school seniors reporting using vaping products, up from 28 percent in 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Additionally, adolescent vaping use can lead to addiction and long-term harm to brain development, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Because of the increasing use of vaping products among younger people and the national concern surrounding vaping use, officials at DMS, including counselors Lisa Armijo and Kristin Dockerty, worked to bring in a presenter to help teach students and the community about the dangers of vaping. Tuesday, three trainings will be hosted: one for students, one for staff and one for parents and community members.

“This has become a national epidemic,” said Sean Wightman, DMS principal. “We want to be proactive because we want the students in our building to understand the consequences of being the substance [of nicotine] and how quickly it can damage your body.”

Wightman said DMS has seen vaping products brought onto school property, which is why he believes it is important that middle school-aged children learn about its side effects.

“We don’t know how this will affect their adult lives,” he said. “Sometimes, when students are young, they don’t think about their future in those terms. With this program, hopefully, they are going to get that message a little bit more clearly about how [vaping] could affect their lives and hopefully deter it.”

While Wightman believes it is essential for students to learn about the dangers of vaping, he hopes community members and parents partake in Tuesday evening’s training as well.

“As this is a growing problem in our community, we wanted families and parents to know what to look for if they see there are some symptoms or signs that their child may be vaping,” Wightman said. “We just wanted to make sure that our community got that information. … We want parents to be informed and to know what to expect because it impacts their families. Our main reason is just health.”

Wightman said he would encourage anyone in the community to attend the 6 p.m. Tuesday session to learn how to take an active role in protecting children’s health.

“We want to educate our community so that they know it is a problem,” he said. “Vaping is an epidemic.”