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The issue of substance use among youth is one that we see in the media almost every day. The topic is often difficult to discuss - but one man committed to spreading the word is this week’s guest, Rodney Bridge.
Rodney’s son Preston died at the age of 16, after taking a synthetic form of LSD in February 2013 during his school ball after party. Following his family tragedy, Rodney discovered the LSD substance Preston ingested was made up of a powerful synthetic hallucinogen, as well as a shopping list of other synthetic drugs. Preston lost his life that night based on one choice - and had he known what he was taking, he would have made an entirely different decision.
As a result of this tragedy, Rodney founded Sideffect, a non for profit organisation designed to educate youth on substance awareness. Sideffect aims to bring early intervention and harm minimisation strategies to schools and communities all across Australia, empowering, challenging, and educating youths to make informed decisions based on knowledge and awareness.
Tune in this week to listen to Rodney’s experience, the founding of Sideeffect, and how he is using this platform to engage youths and spark life-changing conversations.