The Student Harm Reduction Coalition (SHaRC) is a student-led organization at the University of Pennsylvania bringing together individuals dedicated to confronting the crisis of addiction in Philadelphia. Our members are devoted to meaningful volunteer work which provides greater opportunity for harm reduction strategies while simultaneously providing advocacy through education of our undergraduate body and Philadelphians.
Our goals are two-fold. Firstly, we aim to provide clinical outreach focused on the demographic troubled with addiction through our affiliate organizations. We are currently working with Prevention Point, The Everywhere Project, Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy, Operation in My Backyard, and Savage Sisters. Our structure of volunteering is a cohort system where small groups hold each other accountable to a weekly volunteer commitment maintained throughout each semester. Secondly, our efforts are tied to advocating for this stigmatized population through tabling, policy advocacy, and elevating the voices of fellow harm reductionists in the area.