Meet Meet Jes Besharah

As someone who once lived on the streets, Jes understands the struggles and stigma faced by people who use opioids.

In this interview, Jes shares personal experiences with harm reduction and caring advice for young people.

For more videos of lived experience with opioids, visit our YouTube channel.

Meet Ophelia Cara

Ophelia Cara developed a dependence on opioids after receiving them for pain relief while in the hospital.

In this candid interview, she talks about her life, her experience with opioids, her feelings about harm reduction, and her personal advice for other young people.

For more videos of lived experience with opioids, visit our YouTube channel.

Amelia's Story

A heartbreaking story of a toddler who died of an opioid overdose, as told by her loving Grandmother, Dee. Born June 17, 2017, Amelia was full of joy and potential, but her mother struggled with addiction.

Amelia discovered what she thought to be candy… and died of carfentanil poisoning on February 21, 2019 — before reaching her 2nd Birthday. She was the first of three to perish this way; all from Cambridge, Ontario; all the same age.

25th Annual RBC Spirit of the Capital Award Recipient

Left to Right: Ayla Martin (she/her), Sarina Lyons (she/her), Zara Lyons (she/her), Taliah Lyons (she/her) NOTE: Talk Overdose is a project of Youth4Youth Canada

Take a Stand Award

Sponsored by Carleton University

Youth4Youth Canada (group)

Founded and overseen by female Indigenous youth, Youth4Youth is the umbrella grassroots organization under which youth create and manage projects to improve the lives of youth in Canada through arts, culture and health education. Group members are Taliah Lyons (Carleton University), Zara Lyons (Lycee Claudel), Ayla Martin (Carine Wilson Secondary School), and Sarina Lyons (Lycee Claudel).

Talk Overdose: Year One

We never imagined starting this initiative. We were four girls who met in an Indigenous Youth program. At the urging of our Wasa-Nabin Co-ordiantor, we entered UBC’s 2021 Let’s Talk Overdose youth case competition.

We weren’t chosen as the winner… but we decided to launch our project anyway.

From strangers to partners and friends, here’s a video about our first year together creating and growing #TalkOverdose!

For more videos, visit our YouTube channel.

Life After Chronic Pain - Meet Steve Buell

“I wasn’t really looking to be pain-free, I was just trying to be pain-tolerant. At least that’s what I kept telling myself… Ultimately it didn’t turn out that way.”

When Steve’s chronic pain from degenerative disc disease became too great to manage with regular pain relievers, he reached out to his doctor, and began his journey with opioids. We sent him a list of questions and were grateful for his honesty.

The Contest that Started It All

Before there was a “Talk Overdose” project, we were just 4 teenage girls entering a competition run by the University of British Columbia’s Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Group. This is the video we entered.

We were the youngest entrants by far and were lucky to be chosen as finalists, but we were not selected as the winner. Undaunted, we decided to launch our project anyway.

Then, we realized we could do even more and we founded Youth4Youth Canada to manage this, and other projects.