This report was published by Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

Having conversations about substance use with students and providing support to students experiencing substance use and/or mental health challenges is a reality for many working in education. Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO), School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON), and the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) team at CAMH have developed resources to summarize and illustrate the insights and recommendations from youth to support educators in this area.

Included in these resources are findings from the 2021 OSDUHS, which is a population survey of Ontario students in grades 7 through 12 that is conducted every two years. A total of 2,225 students in grades 7 to 12 from 122 schools in 31 school boards participated in the 2021 cycle of the OSDUHS.

This resource provides an overview of experiences with substance use and substance use education that members of the Youth Reference Group shared over a series of seven meetings. It also provides practical recommendations and information for those working with students and supporting substance use education in schools.