Sharing Power with Youth: Building Relationships Through Harm Reduction

Topics: Harm reduction strategies, adultism and youth participation, basic principles of motivational strategies

Online via Zoom (3 hours)

FREE

Description: Young people are very receptive to harm reduction, and do not respond well to “just say no” or abstinence only approaches to substance use prevention. Despite this, youth programming does not tend to embrace harm reduction or discuss harm reduction strategies with young people.  This training aims to equip service providers, youth workers, and other serving youth and working in substance use and/or harm reduction with practical skills related to positive youth development, motivational interviewing, and thinking about how they can incorporate more harm reduction messaging and approaches into their work with young people. 

Audience: Coalition leaders and members, community members, public health professionals, students, healthcare professionals  

Trainers: Gracie Rolfe and Anna Thordarson, Health Resources in Action (HRiA)

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to:

1. Define and link the concepts of adultism, youth development, and harm reduction
2. Practice 1-2 strategies of motivational interviewing for talking to young people about substance use
3. Gain skills to rewrite policies to be more inclusive of harm reduction when working with youth

MA DPH Coalition Criteria Addressed:

1. Shared vision including a focus on reducing health disparities and promoting health equity
2. Membership that is reflective of the community
3. Participation from key partners (individuals and organizations that have a vested stake or interest in a program or policy initiative, e.g. it will impact them directly)

Register Here!