About us

The Substance Abuse and Youth in School (SAYS) Coalition was formed in 2006 to build the capacity of the Ottawa community to work together to develop, resource and implement comprehensive drug and alcohol abuse prevention and treatment programs for students at the Grade 7 – 12 levels in area schools. Facilitated by OCRI (the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation), the Coalition brings together fifteen organizations, including all four local school boards, youth-focused addiction treatment agencies, enforcement and allied professionals to enhance communication in common areas of work, present a united approach to fundraising and to better understand how to work together effectively.

What we do

Prior to the establishment of the SAYS Coalition, there was no funding stream dedicated to school-based support for students struggling with substance abuse issues. Through the efforts of many community partners, new resources were committed in 2008 for the expansion of substance abuse education, prevention and treatment for youth, including funding from the Province of Ontario, the City of Ottawa, the four school boards, and the United Way/Centraide Ottawa’s Project s.t.e.p. The SAYS Coalition is working with the school boards and service providers to ensure that these resources benefit as many students as possible across Ottawa.

As a multi-sector community initiative, the SAYS Coalition continues to facilitate information sharing and collaboration in order to work toward the development of sustainable and comprehensive solutions to address youth substance abuse issues. The Coalition and its members collaborate with the City of Ottawa’s Integrated Drugs and Addictions Strategy in areas that serve youth.

The Need

Drug use among Ontario high school students (Grade 7 – 12) remains a major concern despite the encouraging drop in tobacco use. The 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, conducted by the Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, revealed that about 15% of Ontario students in grades 7 to 12 may have a drug or alcohol problem requiring treatment, yet less than 2% of students indicated that they had received treatment for substance abuse. Substance abuse puts students’ education and long term well-being at risk – we have come together as a community to address these challenges.