Students Overcoming Substance Use Disorder & Addictions - SOUDA • ਸੋਧਾ

SOUDA's mission is to spread awareness about the drug toxicity crisis in B.C., as well as giving information on opioid overdose response, substance use, and prevention. Since September 2019, we have been holding booths at various parks and places of worship and have interacted with hundreds of community members. Our team members provide educational information and live demonstrations of naloxone injections and provide these life-saving kits free of charge. BC has been facing a severe drug toxicity epidemic over the past few years, which claimed even more lives than the COVID-19 pandemic. We focus our efforts on educating members of the South Asian community, in which knowledge about opioid use is limited due to social taboos and language barriers. SOUDA volunteers have also participated in television and radio interviews to further this outreach in the South Asian community residing in Canada. With an increased effort to engage our youth and members of our community, our team has hosted multiple “Train The Trainer” sessions in which we equip new volunteers and public participants with a high level of understanding related to overdose recognition, response, and intend to educate other people. In addition, we also conduct online webinars related to substance use disorder where we invite experts in the field of addiction such as doctors, therapists, and counselors to help reach our ultimate goal - to educate the community.