MeWeSports

Preventing adolescent substance use initiation through community sports

Overview

MeWeSports addresses both the mental health and social needs of young people by combining physical activity with life-skills development that supports coping with adversity, strengthens a sense of belonging, and builds community cohesion. The programme creates safe, healthy opportunities for organised play, social connection, and supportive relationships with peers, coaches, and families. By working through non-traditional platforms such as community sports clubs, MeWeSports leverages the power of sport to promote mental wellbeing while strengthening existing youth-friendly community resources to prevent substance use initiation and mental health concerns.

Rationale

Adolescence is a critical period in which exposure to adversities such as poverty, family conflict, and other negative life experiences can have long-term emotional and socio-economic consequences for adolescents, their families, and communities. Substance use disorders typically emerge before 25 years, are co-morbid in adolescents, and are associated with adverse outcomes later in adult life. In India, adolescents as young as 13-15 years of age have started consuming substances (e.g. alcohol and tobacco). Universal school-based prevention programs can reduce initiation of substance use in young people, but there is inadequate and poor-quality evidence from low-resource settings on comprehensive prevention interventions. MeWeSports addresses this evidence gap by focusing on relevant, innovative, and sustainable strategies that can be used in community-based prevention programs in India.