Why Harm Reduction?
Harm reduction approaches create safer space for people of all ages to be in honest dialogue about their use/behavior patterns, and be met with non-judgment and tangible resources to reduce potential risks to their well-being.
Harm Reduction Heroes© (HRH) is a non-clinical program that empowers participants with knowledge and evidence-based skills to reduce harmful impacts of substance use or other risky behaviors. HRH can be used in solo or group settings, guided by a workbook (the HRH “Mission Log”) with 190 engaging activities that teach harm reduction concepts and skills through gamification.
Harm Reduction Heroes was designed for ages 12+, and for use in intergenerational spaces. It can be used by anyone seeking knowledge on how to apply harm reduction to their own lives, and how to use a harm reduction approach when supporting others who may be struggling with harmful behaviors or substance use.
The philosophy of harm reduction is rooted in an honest, non-judgmental approach to behavioral health challenges that respects the rights, dignity, and humanity of all people who use drugs or engage in risky behaviors.
Substance use and behavioral health “disorders” are not defined by whether a person uses substances or engages in risky behaviors, but rather the amount of harm those actions cause in a person’s life. Harm reduction education is focused on empowering people to determine the best risk reduction pathway for themselves.
The best risk reduction pathway for someone may be abstinence, but it also may be setting an appropriate dose, or being conscious of the context in which one uses substances or engages in risky behaviors. Harm reduction honors that many people depend on drugs — prescribed or not — to manage chronic pain and/or stress, mental health challenges such as PTSD, anxiety and depression, neurodivergence, and many other wellness-related needs. Whether a drug detracts from or improves a persons’ quality of life often comes down to the context and manner in which drugs are used.
Harm reduction also accounts for the impact of societal responses to drug use, again with the goal of mitigating harm. Social responses such as arrest, incarceration, school suspension, losing work and housing opportunities, etc., that cause significant additional harm to drug users, their families, and their communities, run in direct conflict with the goals of harm reduction.
Who is harm reduction for?
EVERYONE
Harm reduction is a lens that can be applied to anything we do or consume to identify and minimize potential risks. In the context of driving, we use carseats and speed limits. In the context of eating food, we require ingredient labels and encourage discernment based on individual dietary needs. The activities in this curriculum can be applied to whatever is most relevant in a person’s life (a way of “meeting people where they’re at”).
The HRH program uses an intentionally broad definition of “substances” that includes psychoactive drugs (including prescription medications), food, caffeine, herbal medicines, social media and more. The program is also versatile enough to address “risky” adrenaline seeking or sexual behaviors that affect one’s brain chemistry. This allows for broad-based participation (the curriculum is designed to work in intergenerational spaces, and is designed for ages 12+). Missions were designed with accessibility in mind with the goal of accommodating a wide-range of educational backgrounds and neurodivergent ways of engaging with content.
The Harm Reduction Heroes program was developed by Titan Potter and Khonsu X of Ezili’s Respite Farm and Sanctuary, L3C (Groton, VT). The curriculum was developed through a two-year pilot project with the Youth Clubhouses of Columbia and Greene Counties, NY (under the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene). HRH is being disseminated through our Training Program for Practitioners throughout NYS and VT.
The HRH “Mission Log” was developed with partial support from the National Endowment for the Arts and Vermont Arts Council.
Are you ready to become a Harm Reduction hero?
“It was incredible. I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in learning to be a better helper and reduce harm in their own lives and the lives of others.”
- 2024 participant in the HRH Training Program for Practitioners
