INTL Youth convening day two: Full spectrum harm reduction

by Kelly Parra-Alba

After an enthusiastic start to the week, Day 2 began with a 3 part session on Full Spectrum Harm Reduction and what this could entail for our Global Youth Coalition.

The first session included a simple definition of Harm reduction to get us thinking: ‘’Harm Reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use.’’ (Harm Reduction Coalition). Although this provided a clear starting point for the activities that followed, we soon realised that harm reduction is a broad, complex and fluid concept that we as a Global Youth Coalition can define in many ways.

In the first activity, we divided into regional groups and came up with three lists: the top 5 substances used amongst young people, the negative social issues that stem from these substances, and the harm reduction activities/services available to combat these negative effects. It was challenging working as a region, as some substances and social issues were country-specific, but we managed to eventually come to a consensus amongst groups.

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