Youth for Youth (Y4Y)

Y4Y focused on alcohol and vaping in Summer 2024, with a new peer leadership structure. The advisers attended dozens of community events to educate teens on how to stay safe from alcohol poisoning, how to talk to a friend about their substance use, and the realities of vaping use. The group created amazing resources.

If you would like copies to distribute, please contact LPaulson@broomfield.org. We also created an amazing collaborative art project with the community! Visit Instagram to see where you can view the piece in the community. 

In 2023, 15 advisers educated our community about opioid overdose, the risks of fentanyl contamination, and how to safely and quickly reverse an overdose with naloxone (Narcan). Y4Y advisers spent over 50 hours at community events across Broomfield this summer! They also created a survey for teens and parents, to further understand current knowledge and opinions on opioid overdose and naloxone. Y4Y presented the results of the survey to over 30 community leaders, youth, and partners.

Y4Y Recommends: 

• Keep the conversations going to normalize carrying and using Narcan. Most people want to learn more about Narcan and opioid overdose.
• Providing more Narcan training for parents, to encourage conversations and acceptance. 
• Increase free Narcan distribution sites across the community. 
• Continue to provide education in a variety of ways, especially social media, which teens report as the source of most information. 
• Messaging should be empowering and positive, where possible.

It’s important to remember that although overdose deaths and fentanyl-contaminated pills are both on the rise, the vast majority of Broomfield high school students aren’t using pills without a prescription. Narcan is safe, easy to use, and can save a life. 

Looking for Narcan? Pick up a free kit at the Broomfield Library or Broomfield Municipal Courts!