the Youth Truth Matters project. Kirsta Morris, Project Coordinator, Tri-County, Amy MacKinnon, Youth Coordinator for Shelburne County and Lisanne Turner & Nicole Hattie, Youth Coordinators for Digby County These women gave generously of their time, knowledge, expertise and creativity. Their dedication to working with the youth, stakeholders, and community enabled this important work to be achieved. Thank you all. Tri County Women’s Centre Board ~ February 2013 This Tool Kit can be downloaded from our two web sites: youthtruthmatters.com Introduction Youth Truth Matters takes a specific harm reduction approach and a strong emphasis on youth leadership as a way for youth and communities to deal with illicit drugs. Harm Reduction Approach Based on what we know and understand about adolescent behaviour, we felt an educational approach that stressed harm reduction to illicit drugs was appropriate. Harm reduction focuses on promoting safety and reducing the potential harm that youth may cause themselves and others. Harm reduction is a continuum of strategies that includes abstinence. A harm reduction approach allows you to work with youth, regardless of where they are in the stages of change process. When using a harm reduction approach, youth-serving organizations can move beyond substance use to address other behaviours that put youth at risk. Such as; self-harm, safer sex, reckless driving, relationships and communicable disease through drug use practice like injecting. A harm reduction approach can help youth identify and reduce the harm across a range of behaviours and practices. Harm reduction aims to keep people safe and minimize death, disease, and injury from high risk behaviour. Harm reduction involves a range of support services and strategies to enhance the knowledge, skills, resources, and supports for individuals, families and communities to be safer and healthier. Why is Youth Leadership Training important? In order for youth to be prepared to work with and present to their peers/community, they need to develop and/or enhance their leadership skills. Leadership training prepares youth to manage time, work
as a team, set goals, start conversations, and discover a variety of facilitation style to create effective presentations. To fully participate youth also need to be informed about various perspectives of the problems, challenges or issues being discussed. This education takes time but it is very important for the youth leader/ facilitator to be comfortable with discussions on various topics youth may bring up. They also need to be open minded and non-judgemental, being able to look at the issues from both sides. Promoting youth leadership development is an excellent way to promote positive life skills and healthy lifestyles. Youth Taking the Lead - Why Peer Education? A young person’s peer group has a strong influence on the way she or he behaves. This is true of both risky and safe behaviours. Not surprisingly, young people get a great deal of information form their peers on eh issues that are especially sensitive or culturally taboo. Peer education makes use of peer influences in a positive way. The credibility of peer educators within their target group is an important base from which successful peer education can be built. Youth peer educators are less likely to be seen as authority figures. Peer educator is perceived as receiving advice from a fellow youth “in the know” who has similar concerns and an understanding of what it is like to be a young person. Peer education is also a way to empower young people, offering them the opportunity to participate in activities that affect them.