Full course description
This training module equips youth-involved professionals with essential knowledge about high-potency synthetic opioids (HPSOs), including fentanyl and its analogs. The course defines opioids and explains what makes HPSOs uniquely dangerous, reviews current trends and risks across developmental stages, and highlights the impact of exposure on children, adolescents, and families. Participants will learn about overdose symptoms, routes of exposure, and how to recognize, respond to, and prevent opioid-related emergencies. Practical tools such as naloxone administration, harm reduction strategies, and age-appropriate approaches to prevention and intervention are presented. The goal of the module is to prepare educators, healthcare providers, first responders, and social service professionals to identify risk, respond effectively to overdose, and provide accurate, stigma-free education that promotes safety, resilience, and recovery in youth and communities.