This document summarizes the TRIP! Project, a harm reduction program for youth who use drugs. TRIP! was founded in 1995 by youth for youth. They conduct outreach at festivals and advocate for harm reduction. The majority of those served are under 19 and use drugs at higher rates than general youth. TRIP! aims to provide non-judgmental education to keep youth safe and treat drug use as a health rather than legal issue. Evaluation found the program improved knowledge around safer drug use and sex. The document calls for supporting youth harm reduction programs to address issues like unsafe sex and sharing of drug equipment.

1. Engaging young people
who use drugs in
developing youth
friendly harm reduction
programs
Yamina Sara Chekroun
US International Working
Group Representative,
Youth RISE
International AIDS Conference – July
22nd 2012

2. TRIP! was
founded in
1995, by
partiers, for
partiers!

3. What do we
do?
 Bag and Booth Harm
Reduction Outreach
 Festivals
 Advocacy
 Blogging & Social Media
 Creation of New
Literature
 Multimedia Design
 Volunteer Trainings &
Workshops

4. Who We Serve
 The majority of youth respondents
(46.2%) are under 19, with triple the
rates of drug use of general youth
population
 44% of TRIP! respondents identified
as LGBTQ (33% bi-sexual, 8.8%
gay and 3% identifying as
transgendered)
 9% of TRIP! respondents identifying
as homeless, under housed or
transient
 71.3% identified their use as
casual/non-problematic
 70% first trying drugs between ages
12-16, with the average age being
13
 43% of survey respondents
indicated they experience negative

5. Why is TRIP! important?
Research
shows that,
next to the
internet,
TRIP! is the
most trusted
source of
information
on drugs, sex
and high-risk
activities;
while
schools,

6. Outcomes for Volunteers
 Better knowledge about
the safer drug use
(98%)
 Better knowledge about
safer sex (80%)
 Access to Safer Use
Kits(43%)
 Building a sense of
community – caring for
each other (78%)
 Referrals to other
supports and services
(55%)
 Work experience and
connections to
employment
possibilities (35%)

7. Emerging Challenges
 47% of TRIP! Youth surveyed
reported having unprotected
sex, with 24% reporting having
sex with multiple partners
 21% of youth drug users
reported sharing straws
 9% identified as injection drug
users , with 3% saying that
they planned to try it in the
near future

8. Our Approach
 We can never stop
the use of drugs, but
we CAN keep people
safe
 Drug use is a health
issue, not a legal one
 Non-judgmental
education approach
based on facts, not
opinions/morals
 Providing information
(for and by youth
drug users) so that
users can make their
own informed
choices

9. Conclusions
 Harm reduction peer education is an
effective strategy for preventing harms
related to drug use
 By engaging youth in a innovate harm
reduction program such as the TRIP!
Project, we allow them to have
conversations about HIV prevention,
safer sex while reducing the harms
associated with drugs.
 It is imperative that governments &
policy makers work to support harm
reduction programs that reach young
people who use drugs, not just
abstinence campaigns that too often

10. Keep in touch!
• www.tripproject.ca
•Purerave.com -
tripproject
•Facebook.com/trippr
oject
•Twitter.com/tripproje
ct
•Email us at
info@tripproject.ca