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School‑based peer support program reports vaping, prescription‑pill outreach and early results
Summary
Minnesota Prevention and Recovery Alliance presenters described a school peer‑support and prevention curriculum (Know the Truth) that reached roughly 980 students countywide, reported survey findings and described vape collection and safe‑disposal efforts.
Presenters from the Brainer Lakes Area Drug Education coalition and the Minnesota Prevention and Recovery Alliance updated the board on school‑based prevention and peer support work funded with opioid settlement and grant dollars.
Josh Nelson, a certified youth peer support specialist with the Know the Truth Project, described classroom presentations and peer‑led support in three local schools. “28% of the students reported experimenting with prescription pills in the school year of 2024 to 25,” Nelson said, reporting that 84% of those students increased knowledge about prescription‑pill risks after presentations and that program evaluations show strong intent to change behavior.
Nelson and Talia Broadhead (community engagement manager and Blade coordinator) said the program provides individual peer support, focused recovery groups and prevention presentations; they collect confiscated vaping devices in monthly 'vape roundups' and reported disposing of roughly 150 vapes collected from local schools. Nelson said the program has presented to about 980 students across several schools.
Why it matters: presenters highlighted early, individual success stories — including a seventh‑grade student who stopped opioid use at school after ongoing peer support — and argued that peer‑led lived‑experience testimonials help break stigma and open conversations.
Barriers and next steps: staff said stigma and school access are primary barriers to expansion; they asked for continued board and community support to expand site access and to scale safe‑disposal and prevention efforts. Presenters invited commissioners to Blade meetings and offered to coordinate with county partners on outreach and data sharing.
