News
Youth RISE delivers a statement at the Reconvened Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs 2025
Statement by Youth RISE at the CND Thematic Meeting Session on High Rates of HIV and Hepatitis C Transmission Associated with Drug Use Vienna, October 1st, morning session Good morning. I am speaking on behalf of Youth RISE, an international network of young advocates, including young people who use drugs and youth affected by punitive…
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Youth RISE membership speak during the VNGOC’s side event at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum
This statement was written and delivered by Teresa Castro (International Working Group member) during the side event “Strengthening Civil Society Voices in Drug Policy for Sustainable Development” organized by the Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs on July 17th at 10am EST. The side event took place in a hybrid format on the occasion of the…
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Putting Community First: Reflections from the “Community in Scope” workshop
This blog was written by Teresa Castro (International Working Group member) June 30 – July 2, 2025 – Berlin, Germany As a member of Youth RISE’s International Working Group, I was one of the civil society members selected for “Community in Scope: A Workshop on HIV Combination Prevention”, part of the SCOPE project from the…
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Sowing Change, Harvesting Justice: Youth RISE Reflections from HR25 in Bogotá
Returning from the Harm Reduction International Conference 2025 (HR25) in Bogotá, our Youth RISE team is filled with gratitude, energy, and renewed determination. HR25 was more than just a conference—it was a global gathering where young advocates, researchers, and people with lived experience came together to discuss and shape the future of harm reduction and…
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Youth RISE at the 68th Commission on Narcotic Drugs
From March 10th to 14th, 2025, Rebeca Marques, Teresa Castro, and Rebeca Calzada, members of Youth RISE attended the 68th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs held at the United Nations in Vienna, Austria. The CND is a unique space-time bubble where government representatives, UN agencies, civil society advocates, and donors meet to observe,…
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Open Call for Contributions: Photographic Exhibition at the Harm Reduction International Conference 2025
Young voices are crucial in shaping the future of harm reduction and drug policy. Youth RISE, together with Prevencasa, Dr. Lisa Williams (Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester) and Harm Reduction International invites young people (ages 18-30) from Latin America and around the world to contribute their stories and images for a photographic exhibition…
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Youth RISE presents the report “Catalysts for Change: Youth-Driven Insights in Opioid Harm Reduction”
Presentación del reporte de Youth RISE “Catalysts for Change: Youth-Driven Insights in Opioid Harm Reduction” Youth RISE conducted a research working group on Young People Who Use Opioids (YPWUO) during November and December 2023. In March 2024, the report was released on Youth RISE’s website. Key findings from this report were also presented during a…
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“I wish they had told us how to be safe” – Building a better drug education with young people
Written by: Andre Belchior Gomes EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There is ample evidence that young people consistently use drugs at higher rates than their older counterparts. An effective drug education that prepares students to make safe choices around drugs – whether they use them or not – is needed. Most of the UK’s education around drugs tends…
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