Conversations around opioids are rarely led by young people, but a group of Long Beach youth aim to change that by sharing their personal experiences in new and creative ways. On Saturday, high school and college students led a showcase on opioid awareness, highlighting solutions by and for young people.
“Young people are seen as the recipients of this issue and not so much the experts,” said Mason Lam, program manager of Youth Leadership Institute, a statewide organization that partnered with the Long Beach Health Department to support students on the project.
For months, students participated in workshops on harm-reduction and the impacts of opioids on their communities. From these conversations, seven youth created posters, social media campaigns and zines, displayed at the showcase and designed to start conversations about substance use and direct peers to resources…