Opioid addiction is a complex problem that is affecting every community in Wisconsin – touching people of all backgrounds. Addressing the problem requires a multifaceted approach that focuses on education and prevention as well as treatment and recovery.
Two community grants supported by the Wisconsin Partnership Program are addressing the opioid challenge head on—one, through a statewide school program aimed at education and prevention; the second, through an innovative project focusing on treatment and recovery in rural Wisconsin.
In 2017, the WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network was awarded a $50,000 Community Catalyst Grant to support its film Straight Forward: The Truth about Addiction. The film is a peer-to-peer documentary that discusses addiction through the lives of several young Wisconsinites in recovery, fighting to reclaim their futures. Funding from the Wisconsin Partnership Program supports the curriculum, lesson plans and statewide outreach efforts. The project’s goal is to create awareness about addiction and empower young people and their families with information and inspiration to live sober and successful lives.
Jon Henkes, WisconsinEye President, says, “Currently, there is not a message of prevention and education specifically targeted at this peer-to-peer level, and we hope to close that information gap.” To date, more than 5,000 students, teachers and parents across Wisconsin have viewed the film. More school viewings, and public meetings, are scheduled throughout the state.
The project’s goal is ambitious—to show the film in every middle and high school in Wisconsin by the end of the 2019 academic year. Says Henkes, “We can already see our message is having a powerful impact. Besides gaining understanding, kids are now showing the courage to have conversations about their use or risk for use, and we believe that’s a step in the right direction.”
Watch the film: wiseye.org/Straight-Forward