YAP is a youth engagement program that aims to increase the knowledge of Saskatchewan youth (aged 14-24) about alcohol-related harms, including FASD. Through the YAP Program, youth are supported to foster positive change in their communities by developing personal skills, as well as creating and participating in projects that build awareness of alcohol-related harms.

How YAP Works and Why

The YAP program integrates and applies a number of strategies towards youth-focused FASD prevention. First, using a philosophy of youth engagement as the basis of the program, youth are supported to create positive change in their lives and in their communities. Second, the YAP program is characterized by a harm reduction approach, focusing on the consequences and risks of substance use rather than on use of the substance itself. For example, rather than suggesting total abstinence from alcohol, the harm reduction approach recognizes that not all youth will simply stop drinking. The harm reduction approach focuses instead on providing skills and tools to reduce the harms experienced through alcohol use. Third, the YAP program facilitates peer-to-peer prevention, by providing skills, resources, and support to participants in creating resources and projects specifically tailored to the needs of their peers.