Drug use is unavoidable and infamous through high schools. It has been disheartening to see the record numbers of drug-related deaths, as reported by the BC Coroners Service, in the past two years. It is more urgent than ever for the public – especially our impressionable younger generations – to know that they can make a difference with the right knowledge and training. We believe the most effective way to achieve this is to have students trained on providing naloxone to individuals, should they encounter an overdose.

In partnership with NaloxHome, a non-profit organization and previous SFU Community Engagement Competition award winner, SFU’s chapter of The FentaNIL Project (TFP) aims to educate high school students in the Burnaby school district (SD41) about how to identify and respond to an opioid overdose through educational and practical presentations.

Presentations will consist of information about what an overdose looks like, when and how to administer naloxone in response to an overdose, and harm reduction strategies to help prevent overdoses from happening. The educational component of our project raises awareness on the Good Samaritan Law, decriminalization, and other relevant information. The practical component of our project teaches students how to identify and respond to an overdose, specifically through the administration of naloxone. Naloxone administration training will come from registered pharmacists and through collaboration with the non-profit organization, NaloxHome.

Read about NaloxHome 2020 here.