Our Story

The Peterborough Youth Substance Use Prevention (PYSUP) Initiative began in January 2024, following Lakelands Public Health's success in securing one of seven new projects funded across Canada by the Public Health Agency of Canada's Youth Substance Use Prevention Program (YSUPP). ​​

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We have decided to focus on starting with the school communities in the south end of Peterborough, based on some public health surveys of risk and protective factors and conversations with the school boards. These schools are ready to do this work. We intend to include all of the Peterborough City and County communities eventually. We've made significant progress, securing school board partnerships and forming a dedicated Community Coordinating Team (CCT).

 

​Since then, Lakelands Public Health has partnered with the Peterborough Drug Strategy to coordinate this work in a collaborative manner. Utilizing partnerships with the Peterborough Drug Strategy and other collaborative tables, leaders in education, healthcare, local governments, and police services, as well as various volunteer organizations, have come together to form the PYSUP Community Coordinating Table, serving as a steering committee to achieve our collective goal of enhancing the quality of life and communities by preventing drug and substance abuse and misuse.

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The Community Coordinating Team has been meeting since the Fall of 2024 to build the foundation for PYSUP, guided by Planet Youth and their resources. This has included determining potential collaborators, arranging a funding infrastructure to establish PYSUP's sustainability and utilizing their networks and expertise to support the IPM steps.