GoPeace 2024 Conference fosters conversations on prevention

Connection, collaboration and community is this year’s this for the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center’s annual GoPeace Conference focused on prevention. Adopting strategies, even ‘radical’ ones in a shifting cultural landscape was a key topic of discussion. 

GBHWC's annual forum is empowering important conversations on suicide and substance abuse prevention earlier this week at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort in Tumon. One of the key topics was transformative prevention: adapting strategies in a shifting cultural landscape. 

With the rising dangers of illicit fentanyl, panelist Audrey Benevente with GBHWC’s project path points out it requires ‘radical ideas’ like offering free Narcan in vending machines, debunking the misconception that it might encourage opioid use. 

"One, naloxone– there’s no abuse potential for it. So you can’t abuse naloxone. Two, providing a life saving medication doesn’t really encourage people to use it because it gives really uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when someone is overdosing on opioids. ," she explained.

She adds the agency is seeing a gradual increase in high school youth taking medication without a doctor’s prescription– a concern with fake pills being laced with fentanyl. 

"It’s just so important because you have individuals that might take something that they don’t know is laced with fentanyl or they are not intending to take it. But having the naloxone in hand gives them that life saving measure if anything happens," Benavente continued.

For panelist Via De Fant, a publicist with University of Guam Press, continued candid conversations is important for the community-based publisher.  She said, "So we had a great writing workshop centered around Dry Nights with a really talented group of students at George Washington High School. When it came to the discussion portion, one of the students had mentioned that, ‘you know, I do want access to resources especially about mental health and suicide awareness’ but he expressed that he was afraid that if he brought it up to his mom, it would cause unnecessary worry."

But it doesn’t have to be a difficult or heavy conversation.  As founder of Ina WellFest Livia Marati puts it, mental health can be a celebration.  "Some of the most popular breakout sessions in the event are the creative ones," she noted.

"People want to paint a vision board and they want to express themselves. Just knowing that health can be fitness, it can be yoga, it can be meditation, but it also can be art, music and creative expression. Allowing it to speak for itself sometimes rather than it be like we want to have a conversation about mental health. Allow the whole experience to be mental health prevention, too."