Just Say Know Harm Reduction Based Drug Education for Your Campus
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Who Am I? Devon Tackels Co-Founder of JSK at VCU Outreach Director, SSDP devon@ssdp.org Thursday, November 15, 12
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What are JSK’s Intentions?
• Re-establish Trust in Drug • • • • •
Education Work to Promote Critical Thinking Creating Safe Spaces for Open Discussion Lessen the Impact Substances have on Campus Communities Plant the Seed of JSK Make the connection between drug education and drug policy *
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What is Just Say Know? • JSK know is a harm reduction based drug education •
program we established at VCU. It is co-facilitated by a student and a health professional working side by side to talk to students about drug use.
• Aims to give students honest, reality based drug education that is grounded in science.
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What I am Covering Today •What Just Say Know is and what it isn’t •The history of Just Say Know at Virginia Commonwealth University •Practical tips for starting a similar project at your university •A hands on exercise teaching an easy technique for getting and using sensitive info •Questions at the end * Thursday, November 15, 12
Why Just Say Know?
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Why do we need JSK? •Drug use is more prevalent on college campuses than in the general population •Drugs are easily available on college campuses •Ignoring the first two facts doesn’t make harm go away •Speaking the language of harm reduction can bring new allies to SSDP’s general mission •JSK creates space to consider biases * Thursday, November 15, 12
No Such Thing As A Drug-Free Campus •We have never lived in a drug-free society, and we never will. •We can't stop all students from using substances, but we can work to lessen the impact drug use has on students and campus communities.
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It’s Not a “Talk”, It’s a Conversation •JSK is an interactive series of discussions that are lead by facilitators, but driven by students.
•It allows for an ongoing conversation to be established between students and campus health professionals, faculty, and administration.
•Creates a safe place for students to ask questions about drugs and drug use. •It's not about a perfect presentation, it's about deepening the conversation. •Finding the common ground. •Exploring cognitive dissonance
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It’s Not About “Good Drugs” or “Bad Drugs” •JSK seeks to dispel the myths of good or bad drugs, and takes a neutral perspective by examining potential positive and negative effects of these substances.
•We let students decide for themselves based on the facts, science, and research.
•We drive home the point that black market commodities have no quality control assurances
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The Benefits of Dispassionate Drug Discussion •Starts a discussion about intentionality • What effects of Y are users interested in experiencing? • What effects of Y are users interested in avoiding? • Reminds young people of the variability of the human
experience—what’s pleasant to one person is unpleasant to another
•Brings biases (both for and against drugs) gently into the light •Getting to the heart of what drug users (and potential users) are seeking
•Acknowledges that even substances perceived as safe can cause
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Building Relationships •JSK gets students and faculty interested in reducing drug related harm talking (Just proposing JSK starts this conversation!) It takes time, it’s not easy, but it can pay off
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What does drug education have to do with drug policy?
•Open discussion can soften stigma •Develops relationships with unconventional allies •Gets educators who may have never considered drug policy to start thinking drug policy •Engages students in the discussion
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JSK at VCU
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Timeline of Relationship between The Well and SSDP •January 2009: Devon meets with Dean and Health Director on Medical Amnesty Policy (MAP) •March 2009: Meetings with Wellness Center/Assistant Dean about passing MAP •Fall 2009: Campus Health Radio shows to talk about SSDP and Campus Drug Policy •Fall 2009-Spring 2010: Devon and other SSDPers get trained to peer-facilitate “Choices: Alcohol Education” classes •September 2010: SSDP Mid-Atlantic Regional conference •November 2010: Begin discussing JSK •Spring 2011: First JSK “Stimulants” Pilot Thursday, November 15, 12
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Ground Rules •Participation needed! •If you’ve got a question, ask it! •If you hear misinformation, probe it • “I don’t know, but I’d love to follow up with you on that question” is a potential answer •Questions should always be framed in a nonincriminating way •Acknowledge that we all have an angle, and part of the intention of JSK is to uncover our biases gently and respectfully
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Key Components of JSK •Cost benefit analysis •“Genetic Snowflakes” •Expectancies •Set and setting •Minimizing harm •Dosages and LD-50 •Legal status •Research Studies •Both student and faculty involvement on ALL topics! • Revolve speakers, students especially •“Compassionate curiosity” Thursday, November 15, 12
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Feedback and Evaluation •Important to measure what students walk away with from these discussions
•Before, During, and After Sessions •Methods that have worked for us: • Anonymous Feedback Post Discussion • Interactive “clicker” responses during session (Anonymous) • “Snowball” responses • Soliciting suggestions before
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Snowball 101 •Take a blank piece of paper from the pads on the table •Write down your answers to the questions coming on the next slide •Pens and paper are identical (ideally) •Preprinted questions make better snowballs
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Questions for Today’s Snowball 1. Have you ever tried LSD? 2. If, so, was the experience mostly positive or mostly negative? 3. What information would have improved your experience?
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Snowball 101, Continued •Crumple your paper •Stand up •Start throwing “snowballs” •Everyone throws at least 3 to get them shuffled •Pick one up •Return to your seat •Process * Thursday, November 15, 12
Processing Snowballs •Stand up if the person who wrote the snowball you’re holding has used LSD •Stay standing if they said that experience was mostly positive •Does anyone’s snowball have an interesting idea for how the writer might improve their experience?
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Benefits of Snowballs •Gives physical representation of who is in the room without incrimination •Lends a second set of eyes to assess the value of answers to questions like #3 •Edits valuable personal experience down to essentials
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Why Our Model Is Effective •We create safe spaces to talk about these substances
•Nobody feels judged •Challenging bias is expected and reinforced •“Compassionate curiosity” honors the fact that
substances can and do cause real harm for individuals
•Intent, Set, Setting •We acknowledge calculated risks humans take every day
•Embrace synergy •Acknowledgement of positive effects of drugs • Discussion of positive/neutral/negative effects
•Breaking the barrier • Students don’t want to be lectured,
they want to participate and share their understanding *
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Next Steps for VCU •Expand faculty involvement •Improve citations and notes on presentations so they’re easy for other institutions to pull up and use •Share immediately and effectively •Develop a 3 credit class •Develop an Honors Module •Offer technical assistance •Create journal club
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Overheard at JSK •“Well, she said she didn’t know so she must not be lying to us.” •“I never would have thought to call poison control.” •“JSK helped me make informed decisions about my own drug use.”
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PSA: Program the National Poison Control Hotline # in your phone
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Bringing JSK Home To YOUR Campus
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What We Have Learned • JSK is not a time to share personal drug experiences • Presenters don't always have to be THE expert-secondary resources are very helpful • Acknowledge speakers’ personal agendas to demonstrate the challenge of unbiased education • "If you build it, they will come" • Outreach is key. Get the word out! • Don't be afraid to talk about Drugs! • It gets easier with practice! • Groom future presenters • Progress, not perfection * Thursday, November 15, 12
Interactivity is Key! •A conversation is a two way street •Utilize creative ways to keep students engaged. • Videos • Clickers •Open the floor to conversation • Take questions as they come • Balance answers between student and health professional.
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How much has JSK cost at VCU? 1. 2. 3. 4.
$1000 $485 $125 $0
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Drug Education Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive •The information is free! •If you are a recognized SSDP chapter you have access to free campus resources •Creating Harm Reduction Center •Utilizing on campus resources • Faculty • Research • Space • Academic Freedom
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Suggestions from VCU students for YOUR JSK •“Presentation and discussion should be dispassionate. All passion should be focused on objectivity, truth, and scientific inquiry” •“Do it! And do it big! Make connections with individuals in the medical field, science, etc. And promote it like crazy! •“Professors should know that students want factual information and they are not going to be fired like Tim Leary”
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Next steps (Checklist) Make a list of researchers, educators, and people on campus who might want to contribute. Divide between members and start building relationships. This can take time Join campus committees dealing with alcohol and substance use If you can’t find buy in from faculty or the wellness center before starting JSK, they may buy in after you get it off the ground Consider starting a “Journal Club” to discuss scholarly articles on drugs Find ways to collaborate with faculty members working to improve health on campus * Thursday, November 15, 12
Tips for Securing a Faculty Facilitator •Demonstrate you’re willing to work •Look for ways to collaborate with them on programming they’re already doing
•Ask them to be a guest speaker on any topic they’re willing to cover for an SSDP meeting
•Again, find common ground •Build trust •Have patience •Journal Discussion Group •Work to de-stigmatize SSDP •Give them control of JSK topics •Put them in touch with kkdonovan@vcu.edu * Thursday, November 15, 12
Questions?
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Contact Me Devon Tackels devon@ssdp.org
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