Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

Cannabis legalization is intended to protect young people by preventing them from harm. Youth are at higher risk for potential health and safety consequences from cannabis, and there is an identified critical gap in cannabis education for school-aged youth. Given this gap, we are planning a cannabis education strategy for youth, called DECYDE (Directed Education on Cannabis for Youth Decision Empowerment). It will be evidence-based and use harm reduction principles with the aim to empower youth to make safe and informed choices. We will co-create a youth and community-engaged curriculum and evaluation plan for in-school cannabis education for grades 7-12. The objectives of this planning grant are to: i)Foster meaningful relationships with a diverse group of youth to enhance cannabis education for youth. ii)Co-create with youth and stakeholders an education strategy that empowers youth cannabis decision-making (DECYDE). iii)Co-create with youth and stakeholders a research protocol for the grades 7-12 DECYDE curriculum. We will conduct the following activities through meaningful engagement with youth, young adults with lived experience, educators, and stakeholders. a)Youth Engagement: Our youth advisory panel (YAP) will inform and co-create our planning workshop and development plan. b)Planning Workshop: A virtual planning workshop will share ideas about youth and educator needs for grades 7-12 cannabis curriculum. c)Development Workshop for Curriculum Plan: A virtual development workshop will be held to develop the curriculum plan. d)Research Evaluation Protocol: A final virtual workshop will be held to develop an evaluation plan. An informed curriculum plan and research protocol for cannabis education will directly benefit youth, as it will be designed for youth, by youth. As such, it will be more relatable and applicable, with the goal to empower youth to make safe and informed decisions and ultimately take control over and improve their health.