Substance Use & Stigma Reduction
Initiative
Breaking Silence. Restoring Dignity. Strengthening Community.
Diaspora Family Healing Network (DFHN) is proud to launch a new community-led initiative focused on reducing stigma surrounding substance use and overdose within Somali and broader BIPOC communities.
Substance use disorder continues to impact families in silence. Cultural shame, fear of judgment, and lack of culturally responsive resources often prevent individuals from seeking support. Our work addresses these barriers directly through education, storytelling, youth engagement, and community healing spaces.
We believe healing begins when conversations become safe.
Why This Work Matters
In many immigrants and communities of color, substance use is often misunderstood as a moral failure rather than a health condition. This stigma isolates individuals and families, delays treatment, and increases risk of overdose.
Through this initiative, DFHN is:
- Normalizing conversations about addiction and recovery
- Providing culturally grounded education about substance use disorder
- Creating safe spaces for families to ask questions without shame
- Uplifting recovery stories from within our own community
- Connecting individuals to trusted, local support services
How We Are Taking Action
At the heart of this initiative is storytelling.
We are creating a digital storytelling platform where individuals with lived experience of substance use, recovery, and family impact can safely share their journeys. These stories help humanize addiction, challenge harmful stereotypes, and shift narratives within Somali and BIPOC communities.
Through recorded interviews, short films, social media features, and community screenings, we are:
- Centering real voices from our own community
- Highlighting pathways to recovery and resilience
- Showing families that healing is possible
- Replacing shame with understanding
Storytelling breaks silence. When people see someone who looks like them speak openly about recovery, it changes what feels possible.
We host culturally responsive workshops in schools, community centers, faith spaces, and youth programs that provide accurate, accessible education about:
- Substance use disorder as a health condition
- The connection between trauma, mental health, and addiction
- Overdose awareness and prevention
- How to support a loved one without enabling or shaming
These workshops create safe spaces for honest dialogue — where questions can be asked without fear or judgment.
We are building a network of youth and community advocates who are trained to lead conversations, model compassion, and challenge stigma within their own circles.
Through peer advocacy, we are:
- Equipping young leaders with education and communication tools
- Training community members to become stigma-reduction ambassadors
- Empowering trusted voices to speak within families and social networks
- Creating long-term cultural change from within
True stigma reduction does not happen through information alone, it happens through trusted relationships and community leadership.
Our Commitment
This initiative reflects DFHN’s broader mission: to create safe spaces where youth and families can heal, grow, and thrive.
Reducing stigma is not a one-time campaign. It is a long-term cultural change. Through education, connection, and compassion, we are working to ensure that no one struggles in silence.