Our Mission

Change the Outcome provides focused learning opportunities for audiences to educate them on important aspects of opioid use, the disease of addiction, and emerging drug trends. Every attendee will be armed with practical knowledge that can save a life, prevent substance use disorder, and actively address the opioid epidemic in simple but meaningful ways.

Our Work

Since November, 2017 we’ve spoken with over 80,000 students, educators, parents, and community members. The information in our program is as critical for parents as it is for young adults.

Change the Outcome works with collaborators across the state. We’ve delivered our program to audiences in:

Our program continues to grow! We’re proud to say that our impact is expanding across the state. We look forward to working with more schools and communities to Change the Outcome. Contact us to schedule a visit.

Who We Are

Change the Outcome is a 501(c)3 non-profit (EIN # 82-3590320) established in July, 2017. We work to raise awareness and understanding of substance use disorder and the opioid/overdose epidemic to reduce stigma, shame and judgement. Using our unique and powerful methods, we provide audiences with vital information about:

• Current drug trends and novelty drugs, particularly fentanyl
• Risks associated with legitimately prescribed medications
• The role of predisposition in developing substance use disorder
• The importance of self-advocating
• Alternatives to opioids for pain relief
• Recognizing an overdose
• Steve’s Law
• How to get and use of Naloxone/Narcan to save lives
• Tools for safe disposal of unused medications
• How to support those struggling with substance use disorder

Our Methods

Our model is simple but unique and effective. First, audiences watch our documentary about the opioid epidemic which we filmed, directed, and produced in Minnesota. Afterwards, Change the Outcome provides a “panel” to answer questions and talk about issues surrounding opioid use.

Our film is 40 minutes long. Our panels are conversational in nature, aimed to engage audience members with personal stories and Q&A. In total, we typically need 90 minutes to complete our program. For more details, see the Meeting Your Needs section below.

Our panel usually includes young people in recovery and a loved one affected by addiction. We do not lecture, but instead facilitate an honest exchange of truthful information using personal experiences and current data from the MN Department of Health, DEA, BCA, CDC, SAMHSA, and other agencies dedicated to fighting the opioid/substance use epidemic.

We receive wonderful feedback from our community partners, but it’s important to us that our program is impactful and educational. When working in schools, we ask all students to complete an anonymous survey before and after the program. That way, we can objectively measure program effectiveness and value to students in each school. Once compiled, we share data with the teachers we partner with.

While it would be simple to provide a “standard” program, our goal is to reach young adults and communities in the most impactful and informative way possible. What works well for one school or community group may not work well for another. We’re flexible in how we deliver our program, but we have certain minimum requirements.

In Schools

We’ve designed our program around typical class period lengths from the schools we’ve worked with. Our program requires that all students watch the documentary and attend a panel discussion, though some schools choose to hold these on separate days. Our research indicates that the program is most effective when delivered in a single, 90 minute block.

We work with each collaborator to bring the program that fits the constraints of your audience and schedule. We can present to large groups in an auditorium or small groups in classrooms depending on the needs of your school.

In a Community Group

We scale our program to meet the needs of your community, large or small. We’ve worked with the public health agencies, faith communities, rotary clubs, and book clubs to present our program.

Because we work with such a wide variety of community groups, we don’t have the same requirements for these settings as we do for schools. We always prefer the standard format for our program, but we can deliver an impactful program that meets your needs regardless of time constraints.

Request a Visit

If you have questions about our programs or would like Change the Outcome to visit your school or community, contact us here.