Pilot project gives qathet youth tools to make informed choices

published on April 20, 2024 by Tanya Hill in Coast Reporter

Youth in BC face enormous challenges when it comes to navigating substances and are disproportionately affected by the current toxic drug supply in the province. BC Coroners Service reported that from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2022, there were 142 unregulated drug toxicity deaths in BC of persons younger than 19 years of age.

Rural communities such as the qathet region, as well as large urban centres, are being impacted, and yet there is a lack of evidence-based drug/substance use programs offered to youth, according to Dr. Emily Jenkins, a registered nurse and associate professor in the School of Nursing at University of British Columbia who has a website called Wellstream.ca.

qathet Youth Community Action Team (yCAT), the youth branch of the qathet Community Action Team (qCAT), began a pilot project in early March of this year to gauge feedback and collect opinions about their initiative called: Party Again, A Safer Partying Project. The initiative aims to address what they see as a lack of education, tools and skills being offered to youth in qathet in order for them to engage in safer, harm reduction, consent-based practices around substance use…