Youth Advocacy Training
When: Tuesday December 14th & Thursday Dec. 16th 2021 from 4:00pm – 6:30pm
Where: This is a two part training to be held virtually via zoom
About the training:
Youth will learn:
- How you can make a difference and become an effective advocate for what you're passionate about
- How to build relationships with elected officials and their staffAll about the legislative process, including connections to help you track issues
- How to include youth leaders in advocacy and policy development
Who is it for?
Youth interested in making a difference through advocacy and policy change. Perfect for prevention clubs, government classes and leadership groups! No experience necessary.
This training is by youth and for youth – The workshop facilitators are youth who have experience public speaking, working with decision makers and government leaders.
Here is the link to register: Use Your Voice Registration
This training is open to more than just the SW Region, so feel free to share within your networks.
Contact Jesse Jimenez for more information or questions.
Prevent Coalition Receives National Honors With 2021 Coalition of Excellence Award
ESD 112’s Prevent Coalition is the 2021 winner of Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) Coalition of Excellence Award. The national award recognizes the Prevent Coalition’s outstanding and measurable success in community-level youth substance use and abuse prevention.
“This award shows how a community group with a vision and a plan can make an incredible positive impact on youth and community. It demonstrates collaboration and hope are powerful, alive, and well,” Leanne Reid, Prevention & Youth Services Manager at ESD 112, shared. ‘“When I first started with Prevent, as I learned about the coalition work I remember thinking – These people and this work is special. It’s a game-changer! This award is the acknowledgment of data that demonstrates the change and the special work the coalition has done over the years.”
Prevent Coalition was presented with this award following a rigorous two-phase application process over the past six months, where they shared how they demonstrated strategic planning to achieve positive outcomes in their short-term and intermediate outcomes associated with substance misuse issues.
“We congratulate Prevent Coalition on their outstanding work and for being exemplary leaders in the field of substance abuse prevention. Prevent clearly embraced the CADCA model of prevention and their commitment has led to positive sustainable outcomes within their community. Our CADCA Got Outcomes! winners exemplify the excellent work that coalitions are doing around the country to prevent and reduce substance use and misuse in their communities,” said General Barrye L. Price, CADCA’s President and CEO.
By mobilizing youth, parents, educators, law enforcement, health care, businesses, decision-makers and more, Prevent implements a range of interventions in Southwest Washington to reduce youth substance use and build community collaboration. A focus of the work is reducing youth access to marijuana through policy change, education, skill-building, and addressing community norms. Some of the measurable successes Prevent has achieved include:
- Lower Youth Access: A 7.1% reduction in youth access to marijuana, from 51% in 2014 to 44% in 2018.
- More Conversations: A 2.5% reduction in the number of parents who do not tell their kids not to use marijuana, from 33.6% in 2014 to 31.1% in 2018.
- Stronger Parental Attitudes: A 2% reduction in youth who got marijuana from home with their parent’s permission, from 8% in 2016 to 6% in 2018.
Years of collaboration by many dedicated members of the Prevent team have resulted in a number of long-lasting prevention tools leading to positive community changes. Some of these include:
- Making the Connection: 13 interactive modules that reveal the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, brain development, and youth substance use.
- Secure Your Cannabis: Point of purchase cards educating cannabis consumers on secure storage, and the developing teen brain.
- Find Your Good: Media images and social kits highlighting positive coping mechanisms and alternatives to using substances.
- Cannabis Conversations: Age-appropriate guides for adults on how to talk to children and youth about cannabis.
- Locks Save Lives: Social norms messaging and campaign promoting safe storage of opioids and prescription medication.
- Locks Save Lives Home: Messaging for home-builders and property managers encouraging the installation of locking cabinets in all new housing developments and homes.
- Rural Toolkit: A library of online tools and resources empowering rural coalitions.
In late January, Leanne Reid and Christopher Belisle, Regional Prevention Project Coordinator, will travel to Washington D.C. for the annual CADCA Forum where they will be presented with the 2021 Coalition of Excellence Award. Leanne and Christopher will deliver a presentation that outlines their efforts in the community that led to the measurable outcomes that are being recognized with the award. They will also meet with national leaders to talk about policy, and receive training and professional development on a variety of drug misuse prevention topics.
CADCA is a non-profit organization committed to creating safe, healthy, and drug-free communities, representing more than 5,000 community coalitions nationwide (and in more than 30 countries worldwide) that involve schools, law enforcement, youth, parents, healthcare professionals, media, and others.
Learn more about CADCA’s 2021 Got Outcomes! Awards on their website, and visit Prevent Coalition’s website for more information.
Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth - SAMHSA Resource Guide
As policy and legalization efforts evolve and the availability of legal marijuana increases, communities and families need guidance to support the prevention of marijuana use among youth.
SAMHSA released a new guide that showcases promising programs and environmental strategies for reducing and preventing marijuana use among youth aged 12 to 17, including:
- Environmental strategies, such as regulating the price of marijuana products, where these products are sold, the products themselves, and their promotion and advertising
- School- and community-based substance use prevention programs to implement along with environmental interventions as part of a comprehensive prevention strategy. The guide provides considerations and strategies for key stakeholders (including policy makers, community coalitions, businesses, school administrators, educators, and other community members), states, and the prevention workforce to prevent and reduce marijuana use among youth.
The guide provides considerations and strategies for key stakeholders (including policy makers, community coalitions, businesses, school administrators, educators, and other community members), states, and the prevention workforce to prevent and reduce marijuana use among youth.
"Talk. They Hear You." Substance Use Prevention Campaign - SAMHSA
"Talk. They Hear You." - NEW! Mobile Application
Parents and caregivers now have access to a smartphone based tool to assist them with some of the most important conversations they may ever have with their kids. The app shows parents how to turn everyday situations into opportunities to talk with their kids about alcohol and other drugs. It also equips them with the necessary skills, confidence, and knowledge to start and continue these conversations as their kids get older.
Click here to view the one-page overview about this new application.
"Talk. They Hear You." - Materials for Schools
Teachers, administrators, student assistance professionals (SAP's), and other school staff members work hard every day to prepare students for future success. Use of alcohol and other drugs, such as marijuana or opioids, can seriously undermine a child’s academic success and life goals.
When something is going on with a student, it can be hard to get the full picture. You don’t have to do it alone. "Talk. They Hear You." campaign resources provide a way for school professionals to share prevention messages with their students’ parents and caregivers:
The Prevent Coalition Podcast
Give yourself a gift this holiday and check out the Prevent Coalition Podcast! There are currently six podcast episodes and more expected to come in 2022!
Insights, tips, stories and science on community prevention coalitions in Washington State. Hosts Jesse and Christopher share the inside scoop on engaging your community and reaching your organization's potential.
Listen at preventcoalition.podbean.com. The podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, the Apple Podcast app and other familiar streaming services.
- Episode 0 - Welcome
- Episode 1 - Rural Network
- Episode 2 - Policy Change
- Episode 3: Secure Your Cannabis
- Episode 4: "Better You Bingo" with special guests from Clark County STASHA!
- Episode 5: Sweet & Sour
Episodes archived at preventcoalition.org/events/news/.
Enrollment now open for Remote Work Certificate Program
The course is offered monthly, takes about 30-hours to complete, is fully virtual and helps prepare participants to be effective remote workers. The pilot program was launched last summer and has since expanded into most of Eastern Washington. The program is scheduled to launch next in Lincoln, Whitman, and Spokane counties.
The next class begins in January 2022. Enrollment is now open and available to all Washington residents.
To learn more about this program and how it could work in your rural community, please contact Thomas Gill.
Rural Grant Progress
- Policy: Attend our meeting on Dec. 9 to hear from guest speaker, Representative Alex Ramel to do a legislative Q&A.
- Toolkit: The workgroup convenes to figure out what to build next.
- Training: We're sending out a survey soon to decide on a location for the Rural Conference. Stay tuned!
- Recruitment: We published a recruitment kit on the rural toolkit page. Find letter templates, emails, thank you cards, and post cards all tailored to different sectors.
- Photo Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more photos.
- Story Toolkit: Published! You may still submit more stories.
About Prevent Coalition
Supported by the fiscal agent ESD 112, Prevent Coalition is a community coalition formed in 2003 to increase collaboration, awareness, and reduce youth substance use in Southwest Washington. Prevent also implements initiatives for rural communities across Washington state. As a community mobilizer, the coalition creates a culture promoting healthy choices; advocates for policies and regulations that protect, empowers and nurtures youth; and facilitates positive opportunities for youth to be involved and thrive.
Email: preventcoalition@esd112.org
Website: www.PreventCoalition.org
Location: 2500 NE 65th Ave., Vancouver, WA, USA
Phone: 360-952-3457
Facebook: Facebook.com/PreventCoalition
Twitter: @supportyouthnow