SYDNEY, Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Miroma Project Factory (MPF) is proud to announce the successful completion of the Technical Feasibility Assessment (TFA) and Proof of Concept (POC) for an AI-powered vaping cessation support tool designed specifically for young Australians aged 14 to 25, in collaboration with Cancer Council NSW.
With vaping rates rising and traditional cessation tools failing to connect with younger audiences, this early-stage work represents a crucial step in ensuring any eventual AI solution is both effective and safe. By focusing first on technical feasibility, the project team has been able to identify opportunities, assess risks, and set clear boundaries for responsible AI use before committing resources to full-scale development and complex training.
Developed in close collaboration with young people, health experts, and youth organisations, the concept is for a chatbot that offers accessible, non-judgmental guidance in a voice young people can relate to. It would include goal setting, personalised messages, milestone tracking, and escalation support when needed, all designed to feel like a conversation with a peer rather than a lecture.
"This isn't about telling young people what to do, it's about listening to what they need," said Kat Robinson, CEO of Miroma Project Factory. "By thoroughly testing feasibility and boundaries first, we're ensuring any final product is aligned with both youth needs and responsible technology principles."
This project was backed by research, informed by experience, it builds on a national co-design process involving over 150 young Australians, facilitated by Cancer Council NSW and supported by partners including U1, MASS LBP, and Avion. The research confirmed that young people want help to quit but they want it on their terms.
The strongest demand came for tools that are accessible on mobile, available 24/7, and allow users to check in with themselves, track progress, and receive encouragement without shame or pressure. More than 80% of surveyed young people said they would use a tool like this if it were available today.
The chatbot experience will respond directly to those insights - offering a highly personalised quit journey that feels safe, supportive, and youth-led.
This proof of concept sets the stage for scale, the foundation for a broader digital vaping cessation platform designed to meet the needs of diverse young people across Australia. The vision is clear: build a national digital service that combines empathy, evidence, and technology to reduce harm and increase access to support - particularly for those who may never engage with traditional help-seeking pathways.
MPF was pivotal in contributing to strategic technical planning, user experience design, content development, and communications positioning - ensuring the prototype is not only viable, but built to inform future partnerships, funding pathways, and national scale-up.
About Cancer Council NSW
Cancer Council NSW is a leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to a cancer-free future. Through research, education, advocacy and support, Cancer Council NSW works to reduce the impact of cancer in communities across New South Wales and beyond. Their tobacco control initiatives include national leadership on vaping research, cessation tools, and youth engagement.
About Miroma Project Factory (MPF)
MPF is a multi-award-winning digital strategy and product studio that delivers innovative digital solutions across web, platforms, and systems. Specialising in purposeful technology, MPF works at the intersection of strategy, design, and engineering to create impactful digital products for organisations ready to lead. With deep expertise in healthcare, MPF helps clients scale responsibly, communicate clearly, and connect meaningfully with their audiences. MPF is the development studio behind the multi award-winning My QuitBuddy app for the Department of Health. For more information, visit www.theprojectfactory.com.
For media enquiries, interviews or partnership opportunities, please contact:
Miroma Project Factory
info@theprojectfactory.com
Tiana Vourliotis
Cancer Council NSW
tiana.vourliotis@nswcc.org.au
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Reaching Young People with Real-Time, Human-Centred Support: Cancer Council to Launch AI for Youth Vaping Cessation
GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 14, 2026, Guangzhou Zhongshan Whampoa School for Hong Kong and Macao Students (ZWIS) and Foshan Zhongshan Whampoa Star-raise School for Hong Kong and Macao Students (ZWSS)—both established by ZWIE—formally signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), marking the launch of several substantive collaborative initiatives. The two ZWIE schools will introduce EdUHK's "Mainland Secondary School Principals' Recommendation Scheme" and provide outstanding EdUHK students with opportunities for school visits, immersive on-campus experiences, and internships. The partners will also jointly organize admission seminars and parent engagement activities to offer families cutting-edge educational guidance.
Professor May Cheng May-hung, Vice President (Academic) of EdUHK, said that the signing of the memorandum marks a significant and solid step forward in promoting educational innovation and deepening exchanges between both parties. This collaboration covers multiple areas, which will enhance students' practical abilities, foster professional exchanges among teachers, and further strengthen the cooperation between the educational sectors of the two regions.
Dr. Peggy Zhai, Principal of Zhongshan Whampoa School for Hong Kong and Macao Students, said that this collaboration represents a profound integration of academia and practice. It not only creates a fast track to quality education for students and injects new vitality into teacher development and teaching research advancement, but also provides a high-end, quality career platform for outstanding students of EdUHK, further promoting the integration of education in the Greater Bay Area.
The partnership is founded on the alignment of educational philosophies and mutual high regard for each other's strengths. EdUHK is a government-funded higher education institution dedicated to advancing learning and teaching through the provision of teacher education programs, as well as diverse academic and research programs in social sciences and humanities. In the March-released "2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject" in education, EdUHK ranked 12th globally, fourth in Asia, and second in Hong Kong. Additionally, it was rated as a "5-Star Institution" in the "QS Stars University Ratings." The Zhongshan Whampoa Schools for Hong Kong and Macao Students, established in Guangzhou and Foshan by ZWIE based on over two decades of experience, have grown into leading force in educating Hong Kong and Macao students in the Greater Bay Area. The Guangzhou campus has obtained authorization for the IB MYP-DP continuum and Cognia accreditation, and was listed among the "Hurun Education•Top 100 International Schools in China 2025."
As a pioneer in the integration of Eastern and Western holistic education, ZWIE has been deeply rooted in the Greater Bay Area for over 23 years and has established and supported multiple IB World Schools. Grounded in local educational characteristics and integrated with the IB curriculum framework, ZWIE actively promotes the fusion and innovation of IB and Chinese education, constructing a coherent 15-year IB holistic education ecosystem from kindergarten through high school. It was elected as the founding chair unit of Chong Wa International Baccalaureate Schools Association (CISA), officially recognized by the IB in Greater China. This achievement is underpinned by an educational legacy spanning a century.
ZWIE's approach to integrated education traces back to the great-grandfather of Mr. James Wong, Chairman of ZWIE—Mr. Wu Shangshi, a pioneering figure in Chinese hydrogeography and a master of modern geography in Lingnan. Mr. Wu Shangshi graduated from the English Department of Sun Yat-sen University, pursued advanced studies in France under renowned French geographers, and upon returning to China, taught at Sun Yat-sen University where he later served as head of the Geography Department.
Mr. Wu Shangshi was proficient in English, French, and German. His translation of Hydrology of Rivers was the first French monograph translated in the Chinese geographical community. His published Research on the Topography of the Eastern Foothills of Baiyun Mountain was one of China's earliest true topographical papers. The "Pearl River Delta" geographical theory was finalized and matured under his research, and the "Seven Star Hill Ancient Marine Abrasion Relics" he discovered are now listed as a key Guangzhou cultural relics protection unit. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he led teachers and students on a walking survey of the mountains and rivers of northern Guangdong, holding steadfastly to his lectures amidst the fires of war, integrating a sense of national and familial commitment into the educational ethos.
Many of Mr. Wu Shangshi's descendants have dedicated themselves to education, and this educational ideal of "rooting in China, looking to the world" has been passed down through generations. In 2003, Mr. James Wong was entrusted by his family to return from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, the place where Mr. Wu Shangshi studied and taught, to explore integrated Chinese and Western education for the new era. The name "Zhonghuang" (中黃) is derived from "Zhonghua Yanhuang" (中華炎黃), and from its inception, its mission has been to inherit and promote Chinese culture.
For over two decades, ZWIE has driven curriculum innovation as its core, developing an integrated curriculum system with both local roots and international perspective. In recent years, ZWIE has continually advanced curriculum evolution, deeply integrating AI-enabled teaching while strengthening science and innovation education. It has explored joint programs with several century-old prestigious schools in the Greater Bay Area to cultivate top innovative talents among Hong Kong and Macao students. As a rising star among schools for Hong Kong and Macao students in the region, ZWIE achieved remarkable results in its inaugural 2025 DSE cohort: at the Guangzhou campus, 46.6% of graduates received offers from top three universities in Hong Kong, 73.3% from top five, including four admitted to the University of Hong Kong (covering flagship programs in Medicine and International Business and Global Management). At the Foshan campus, all inaugural DSE graduates received offers from top five Hong Kong universities or mainland 985/211 institutions, achieving outcomes comparable to Hong Kong Band 1 schools. All graduates from the ZWIE American Curriculum Department gained admission to top 100 world universities.
Mr. James Wong, Chairman of ZWIE, expressed that ZWIE originated in Hong Kong and has accumulated 23 years of practical experience in integrated education within the Greater Bay Area. This in-depth collaboration with EdUHK not only signifies high recognition of ZWIE's educational practices but also provides strong support for ZWIE's return to Hong Kong to extend its operations. Mr. Wong mentioned that ZWIE is actively promoting the launch of a new Hong Kong project, "Zhongshan Whampoa Academy," dedicated to exploring Sino-foreign integrated international curricula with Chinese characteristics, cultivating innovative talents with both noble character and global competence. He looks forward to this as a new starting point—based in the Greater Bay Area, facing the "Belt and Road"—to contribute the wisdom of Chinese education to the world.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
ZWIE and The Education University of Hong Kong Sign Memorandum of Cooperation to Promote Exchange and Deepen Collaboration
ZWIE and The Education University of Hong Kong Sign Memorandum of Cooperation to Promote Exchange and Deepen Collaboration
ZWIE and The Education University of Hong Kong Sign Memorandum of Cooperation to Promote Exchange and Deepen Collaboration
