Lessons Learned from "a Day for Youth Voices on the Opioid Overdose Crisis" and Future Directions for Research on the Youth Polysubstance Use Emergency in Canada

Objectives:There is a lack of knowledge regarding how diverse young people (ages 15-25) experience opioid use, connect to opioid-related services, and navigate opioid use disorder. Knowledge is urgently needed to inform the development of prevention and treatment for youth. This article outlines a protocol for a pan-Canadian youth engagement summit and discusses the successes and challenges experienced and outlines suggestions for future engagement initiatives of this kind.Methods:The challenges and successes we present are premised on the results of a survey based on the Public and Patient Engagement Evaluation Tool administered to participating youth that consisted of closed-ended and open-ended questions and demographic data, as well as from feedback provided informally to the summit teams and team members' reflections.Results:About 169 youth participated in the summit and represented diverse youth populations from 6 different provinces with varied experiences with opioid use. The majority of participants were women. N = 126 youth completed a feedback questionnaire. Most of the youth rated the event highly. Most youth felt they were able to express their views, that their views were heard, that a broad range of topics were discussed, and a broad range of viewpoints were represented. Most youth felt the event was a good use of their time and were satisfied. Youth were less confident that the summit would impact governmental policies and would be used by relevant stakeholders, including service providers. Summit successes included engagement, the provision of education/information and psychological support, normalization, and validation. Summit challenges related to time and timing of the event, content, and interaction(s).Conclusion:Our summit represented a unique pastiche of youth participation and engagement modalities. Going forward, we suggest that researchers and summit planners ensure youth are engaged in earlier stages of planning, that the content be responsive to a spectrum of youth knowledge about opioids (within site), incorporate flexibility with the formats of interaction, as well as potentially include other stakeholders to improve youth confidence that their feedback will have impacts beyond the summit activity.