The opioid epidemic, as well as misuse of other addictive substances, has impacted children and families across America. Mentoring provides an avenue where a caring adult can provide support, connections, and respite to youth affected by the trauma or stress associated with this problem.

Your mentors need basic information about opioids and guidance for how they can be supportive and helpful to their mentees, who may be recovering, using, or at risk of using opioids or other drugs.

The Substance of Change: Building Assets in Mentees Affected by Substance Misuse course is a key resource for your mentoring programs, if you are interested in training your mentors about opioids, how opioids can affect the lives of mentees, and practical strategies mentors can easily learn and use in their everyday interactions to be a positive change agent in the lives of their mentees.

Mentors need basic background information about what are opioids, and how and why people start using them, what are red flags that youth may be using, as well as training on strategies tailored to their mentee’s needs:

• Understand the pathways to addiction
• Learn how to support positive growth in their mentees
• Learn key goals for their mentees, who may be negatively impacted by exposure to opioids or other drugs