Action plan next step for substance use prevention initiative
- Apr 2
- 2 min read
Data collected from students helping inform strategy for Peterborough Youth Substance Use Prevention (PYSUP) initiative.
April 2, 2026
Peterborough Examiner | Catherine Whitnall
After a year of stringing together productive grassroots outreach, Peterborough’s substance use prevention initiative is poised for the next chapter.
On Tuesday, dignitaries, community members, students and those involved with the Peterborough Youth Substance Use Prevention initiative (PYSUP) gathered at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School to unveil an original art installation created by Port Hope’s Lee Higginson.
The celebration capped off two years of planning, outreach and information gathering by PYSUP which has flipped the proverbial script on the local drug crisis.
Article Highlights:
“Too often, groups hoping to make a difference and affect change, come into it with pre-conceived ideas. We know that when we come together, incredible things can happen … This is totally youth-led, community-led. And we’re starting to see the impact of taking that approach. Students really want to be involved and have a role.” - Martha Faulkner, Lakelands Public Health Nurse & Co-coordinator of Planet Youth Nogojiwanong, brought to you by PYSUP.
As part of the selection process, the health unit received $125,000. The funding enabled the group to begin focusing on outreach and building relationships with local students and the community. This included attending a variety of events including Anti-Stigma Day, the Hope Festival and Pride celebrations in Peterborough as well as the Curve Lake Pow Wow.
The group also surveyed Grade 10 and 11 students at three pilot schools — Holy Cross, Kenner Collegiate and Vocational Institute and Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute — in Peterborough. Some of the data collected helped inform Higginson’s work.
The organization already has plans to recruit youth, aged 12 to 18, and community members from all walks of life — caregivers, policymakers, medical professionals, elders — to form youth and community advisory committees.
“One of the best parts of this being a community-based, tailor-made initiative is we are getting data back in six to eight weeks, not months. It makes it very actionable, and that’s crucial. We can’t wait for other people to make these changes for us.” - Martha Faulkner
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