COALITION NEWS

Members of the Rural Network traveled to Birmingham, Alabama last month to attend the National Prevention Network (NPN) Conference. The Rural Network, originally an initiative of Prevent Coalition, was a featured training session at the conference and was presented by Rural Network members Isaac Wulff, Sarah Meyers, Brisa Sanchez, and Mollie Mustoe.

The NPN Conference provides a forum for prevention professionals, coalition leaders, researchers, and federal partners to share research, best practices and promising evaluation results. The first conference was held in 1988 and has been conducted on an annual basis ever since in various cities around the country hosting up to 1000 participants.

At this year's conference, in front of a standing room only audience, the Rural Network speakers introduced key program elements such as the rural needs assessment, rural prevention toolkit, a stock photo gallery with rural images, a rural prevention training and a rural conference just for prevention professionals working in rural communities.

Substance use in rural communities was discussed including underage use of legal cannabis, commercial tobacco, and alcohol. Speakers outlined protective factors in rural communities as well as risk factors that contribute to substance use disorder and poor mental health in teens, and young adults, Hispanic/Latino youth and families, and rural LGBTQ+ youth. Speakers shared personal experiences and connected with the audience. "We are clawing for things we need in rural communities," stressed Pomeroy Coalition Director Sarah Meyers to an agreeable audience.

While this was merely a standalone opportunity to showcase the Rural Network it brings with it hope that it will inspire a national audience of prevention professionals to return home to build their own rural networks and create a new national standard for rural prevention.

Special thanks to the presenters, Isaac, Sarah, Brisa, and Mollie for all the time and preparation, and proudly representing the Rural Network.

On August 23, 2023, FDA issued warning letters to 15 online retailers for selling and/or distributing unauthorized e-cigarette products packaged to look like youth-appealing characters, school supplies, toys, and drinks. Since the appearance of these illegal products can be deceiving, the agency is also seeking to raise awareness among parents, teachers, and other adults headed into the new school year. “The design of these products is a shamelessly egregious attempt to target kids,” said Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

See the product images and read the full story here.

The You Can marijuana prevention campaign wants to partner with Washington youth to create a library of user-generated videos that feature places teens go to de-stress or find joy throughout the state.

What You Can needs:

• A vertical video that’s 15-30 seconds long and shows a place that brings teens joy or helps them relax.
• A short description of the teen's video, like "My favorite library," or "Granite Falls, WA”.
• The teen's first name, age, city or state, email address, and Instagram username.

What participants will get:

• A $20 Amazon gift card per each submission that meets the required guidelines.
• One entry in a random drawing for five prizes of one $100 Amazon gift card.

Who can participate?

• This video project is open to everyone in Washington state, ages 13- to 17-years-old.

What is the deadline for submissions?

• All submissions must be sent by September 26, 2023.

Click the image with this story to view the promotion flyer or visit You Can's Calming Videos webpage for more details and to access the video submission link.

CADCA believes that having a National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) is a chance to create a youth-adult partnership, have youth speak on behalf of youth populations, be strong ambassadors for CADCA, and grow in their leadership skills while promoting the importance and diversity of youth voices.

Applicants must be 14-18 years of age by September 1, 2023. Members must serve a two-year term (October 2023-September 2025) and cannot serve more than one 2-year term. NYAC members are expected to participate in a certain number of meetings and activities throughout the two years.

Deadline to apply is September 30, 2023.

Click here to visit application website for more information.

Suicide prevention month provides an opportunity to create awareness, implement suicide prevention in social networks and communities, and help those in need. Helpful resources are listed below (click link to visit resource website):

• CDC Suicide Prevention Month: Partner Toolkit
• National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention Campaign #BeThere
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center - Ideas for Action
• NAMI Suicide Prevention Awareness Month webpage
• National Hispanic and Latino PTTC Suicide Prevention Mini-book
• Education Development Center
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
• PBS broadcast "Facing Suicide"
• Digital Shareables on Suicide Prevention (nih.gov)
  

The American Public Health Association (APHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsor a training website that explores the relationship of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), overdose, and suicide. The website provides videos and audio recordings, infographics, a collective messaging framework, talking points, and a customizable presentation template, all of which can be used as tools to educate and raise awareness about the intersection of these urgent public health challenges.

Visit urgentrelatedpreventable.org to learn more.

July 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, known as 988, where compassionate, accessible care and support is available for anyone experiencing mental health-related distress - including youth - whether that is thoughts of suicide, mental health or substance use crisis, or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also contact 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has continually updated the 988 Partner Toolkit during the past year. Available are a variety of new social media text and chat shareables, including Spanish-language social media shareables and materials, plus 988 branded stickers, magnets, and posters to help you promote 988 in your community.

Check out what's new at SAMHSA's 988 information website, www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988.

Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) created the “Friends for Life” statewide fentanyl education campaign to inform teens and young adults in Washington about the risks of fentanyl and the power of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses.

The campaign is designed to help parents, caregivers, prevention professionals, and educators have important conversations with teens about the risks of fentanyl and how to stay safe and make informed decisions. Toolkit resources are available, and more tools and educational materials will be available this fall.

To learn more about the Friends for Life fentanyl awareness campaign and to download free educational materials, visit WAFriendsForLife.com.

CDC launched the "Empower Vape-Free Youth" campaign this year to encourage middle and high school educators to speak with students about the risks of e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction. The campaign also provides resources for educators to help students avoid or quit vaping.

Resources include a library of PSA and educational videos, fact sheets, conversation cards, and more. See all the resources on the campaign website.

The FDA created a Vaping Prevention & Education Resource Center to provide an online resource of science-based, standards-mapped materials that teachers can use to help their students avoid vaping and nicotine addiction. The resource center features numerous age-appropriate, cross-curricular resources for teachers and parents to promote learning and begin having open conversations with youth about vaping and tobacco use.

In addition to content designed for teachers, FDA also developed materials for parents and teens. All content at the resource center is free, easy to navigate, and optimized for each audience.

Visit the online resource website to learn more.

To meet an urgent need to educate young people about the risks of prescription medication misuse and counterfeit drugs containing the synthetic opioid fentanyl, Truth Initiative joined forces with EVERFI on a digital course that has already reached over 1 million students.

Since 2017, this course has educated students about the dangers of prescription medication misuse and now includes important new content addressing the dangers of fentanyl and counterfeit drugs. The free digital curriculum aims to equip students with essential knowledge to protect themselves and others from the risks associated with both prescription drug misuse and fentanyl.

Visit truthinitiative.org/PDS-curriculum to learn more about the course.

October is just a month away so now is a good time to start planning your event for Red Ribbon Week!

The Red Ribbon campaign serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities, educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. Ways to show support range from wearing red to facilitating events and activities that bring awareness to living a drug-free life.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) provides a toolkit to help with planning which includes promotion ideas for communities and schools, sample press release and talking points, and social media graphics. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts who participate can earn a patch through the DEA scouting patch program.

Learn more by viewing the resources at www.dea.gov/redribbon.

*Storing medicine in a locked location is the single most effective deterrent to accidental poisonings, overdose, medicine theft, and misuse that can lead to prescription drug addiction. Stay informed and talk with loved ones about the risks for ingesting or taking medicine not prescribed for them and benefits of safeguarding your medications. Learn more at www.LocksSaveLives.org.

Whether you have recently joined the Rural Network or are still thinking about it there is a resource available that will answer your commonly asked questions - our New Member Orientation Guide!

This guide describes our mission, vision, funding, 7 core principles, who we serve, and how to get involved. It also describes what our meetings are like and why you should join!

Learn all the details at smore.com/8eqhp

Below is an update from Rural Network Coordinator and Prevent & Youth Services Manager Christopher Belisle on what is happening and what is needed in the Rural Network:

• Volunteers Needed: We need 6 more volunteers to sort risk/protective factors for our updated Needs Assessment process, called “Group Concept Mapping.” I sent a separate email outlining what’s involved. If you’re interested, please let me know.
• Annual Outcomes: I’m working on an annual outcomes report and website for the 2022-2023 Rural Network. Here is a preview:
• We held 81 committee meetings/events this year, compared to 77 last year
• We received 1,719 volunteer hours this year, compared to 1082 last year. That’s worth $51,484.05 according to Indepedentsector.org. I wanted to beat our number from last year but did not expect to blow it out of the water. Incredible job to you all!
• 46 new volunteers joined our email list this year – we are better because you’re here and I’m grateful to everyone sharing our opportunities.
• This year we promoted Find Your Good and Secure Your Cannabis campaigns on social media statewide and in rural newspapers. We had 1,380,341 in paid media reach and received 60,371 in earned (unpaid and not purchased) media reach.
• Annual Evaluation: If you haven't received an annual survey please reach out. This evaluation closely mirrors the Coalition Member Assessment Tool that CPWI (Community Prevention & Wellness Initiative) coalitions use and helps us understand how we measure up so far in the eyes of our volunteers.
• Find Your Good: Please help me thank Logan Morrow for running the toolkit workgroup committee that updated the Find Your Good campaign this year with rural images and surveys from rural youth. We are excited to share these new messages! Now that this project is finished, Logan will likely be leading the PCN or Rural Conference workgroup (to be decided).
• Positive Community Norms: I’m working to complete a contract with The Montana Institute to continue running the PCN committee this year, working towards a rural norms campaign. Although we’re eager to get to work, ESD 112 can’t easily create new contracts/promise funds until we ourselves have received our funding from the Department of Health (the grantor of Rural Network). We will likely have the contract signed and ready to go in September if not earlier. I appreciate your patience and understanding.
• Rural Conference: The Rural Conference will happen in 2024. I shared before how our team wants this to be fully coalition-driven and to do that we need a planning year in between each event. That means we’re bringing back the Conference Committee again. To take our event to the next level, we’re bringing in some professionals: Rede Group and Robb Hutson who are event planners and trainers. They are the brilliant minds behind the CannAct (Cannabis Action Summit – formerly known as Marijuana and Public Health Summit) as well as trainings held by Washington Department of Health. For reasons stated above, we are also waiting to sign this contract and hoping to start in September.

Even during summer there are tons of projects simmering! I can’t wait to bring all this and more to life this next year with you all. Thank you for your contributions so far and I will see you in August at our next monthly meeting.

Each year the Rural Network conducts an annual evaluation survey to ensure we're on track, meeting your needs, and doing the best we can to create long-lasting changes for rural communities.

We appreciate you taking 5 minutes to complete this year's survey. Click here: https://survey.sogolytics.com/r/63cpR7

• Assess Needs: We will be hosting rural Listening Sessions this summer led by WSU researcher Dr. Janessa Graves. This information will be about rural risk and protective factors, and will help us update our needs assessment from 2020.
• Evaluation: Look forward to an annual evaluation survey to reflect on our progress as a network and ensure we're doing what works.
• Assess Data: Clark County Public Health created an online dashboard of rural Healthy Youth Survey results that you can access on our website, allowing users to easily view detailed results from the report in a visual and accessible way.
  
• Build Toolkit: Thank you to all who attended our monthly Toolkit Workgroup Meetings and gathered youth survey responses to update the Find Your Good campaign. We are currently uploading the images to the campaign website and creating a special Rural tab for them.
  
• Build Toolkit: We contracted with the Montana Institute to create the beginning pillars of a Rural Positive Community Norms Campaign. We will continue contracting with them next fiscal year as well, but need time to get the contract and budget together. We will resume monthly meetings in August or September.
• Offer Training: We sent rural communities to the Montana Summer Institute to learn about Positive Community Norms. Thank you for attending on our behalf!
  
• Offer Training: The Rural Network Steering Committee presented at the National Prevention Network Conference in August in Alabama as a breakout room presenter. The did an awesome job promoting our cause and teaching other communities how to create a network like ours.
  
• Promote Equity: We published Spanish translations of the entire Making the Connection Toolkit. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/connectiontoolkit.
• Promote Equity: Logan is starting a book club event to review "I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times," by Washington author Mónica Guzmán. Connect with Logan to get involved!

For a full grant progress timeline visit www.preventcoalition.org/rural/our-work/.

The Rural Toolkit can be found at www.preventcoalition.org/rural/toolkit. Access to the Rural Toolkit is password protected. The password is: ruralrocks!

Coalition Coordinators Meeting

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

9:30am-11am

Virtual conference call by invitation.

For southwest region coalition coordinators.

Coalition Coordinators Meeting

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

9:30am-11am

Virtual conference call by invitation.

For southwest region coalition coordinators.

SW Regional Network Meeting

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

3:30pm-5pm

In-person meeting.

For southwest regional network members.

Rural Network Meeting

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

2-3:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Rural Network Office Hours

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

1-2 p.m.

Online conference call

For Rural Network members to receive technical assistance

Rural Steering Committee

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

3-4:30 p.m.

Online conference call

Develop the plan, guide the implementation, evaluate the results.

All times are Pacific Standard Time (PST)

Relevant events not sponsored by Prevent Coalition:

Using Logic Models for Organizational Planning and Evaluation

(Two Part Webinar Series)

September 26 and October 3, 2023

11am-12:30pm

Cost: Free!

Registration:

Part 1 Registration Link

Part 2 Registration Link

This training will prepare participants to conduct data-informed program planning and evaluation using logic models as a part of their strategic planning process. Attendees will learn about logic models, how and when to use them, and understand the components of a strategic plan.

Washington State Prevention Summit

(In-person, The Davenport Grand, Spokane, WA)

October 24-25, 2023

Fee: $100 (youth and virtual attendee $50)

Visit preventionsummit.org or more information.

The Prevention Summit is an enriching training and networking opportunity for professionals, youth and volunteers engaged in health promotion and the prevention of substance misuse, violence, and other high-risk behaviors, in a setting that promotes cultural humility. The summit provides high-quality workshops, forums, and hands-on learning opportunities designed to meet a variety of needs, including professional development for prevention professionals. A separate youth track gives youth volunteers their own space to increase skills, share experiences, network, and gain knowledge to be effective prevention advocates.

PAVe

Clear the Vapor Conference

(Virtual)

October 24, 2023

Times TBD

No fee, click here to visit registration page

Clear the Vapor is PAVe’s annual high-level and highly accessible youth vaping event. It is a unique, parent-powered and volunteer-led FREE event intended to provide both an overview and a deep dive into all aspects of this ongoing adolescent public health crisis, with an emphasis on practical solutions.

CADCA

National Leadership Forum

Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center, National Harbor, MD

January 29 thru February 1, 2024

Cost: Visit the CADCA Forum 2024 website for more information

CADCA Forum provides training from top experts in the field, Information, tools and strategies to take your prevention work to the next level, the latest science, news and trends on substance misuse issues, the opportunity to network with thousands of advocates passionate about prevention, and specialized youth leadership training.

Pacific Southwest PTTC

Media in Prevention

(3-Part Webinar Series)

On-demand, click link below to view

No Fee

Webinar 1: Social Media Best Practices
Webinar 2: Media Literacy as a Practical and Transferrable Skill
Webinar 3: Using Media in Substance Misuse Prevention

This three-part webinar series aims to do this by helping participants better understand core concepts such as media literacy, social media strategies, and the role of advertising in substance use, and develop skills to think critically about social media, its’ messages, and its role in prevention.

NW PTTC

Ethics in Prevention Foundations

(Virtually moderated 6-hour course)

Repeats monthly, visit website for next session!

No Fee, Limited Space Available

This two-week, asynchronous moderated course, adapted from the original SAMHSA Center for Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) course, explores the six principles of the Prevention Code of Ethics. The course also introduces a decision-making process to help practitioners apply this code to a variety of ethical dilemmas, and an online discussion area to facilitate discussion with other course participants. Course meets requirements for prevention specialist credentialing.

View ongoing training and events at https://pttcnetwork.org.

NW PTTC

Special Topics in Prevention of Substance Misuse

(Self-paced courses)

A large selection of online, on-demand courses that explore special topics in prevention of substance misuse that will better-equip prevention professionals & coalitions to serve their communities.

Access the courses via the HealtheKnowledge.org website.

NW PTTC

Pharmacology for Prevention Professionals

(Self-paced course)

Explore the basics of how substances impact major brain regions and the acute and chronic symptoms associated with different substances. Certificates of 1.5 hours for each of the following four courses: Basics of Pharmacology and Alcohol, Basics of Pharmacology and Opioids, Basics of Pharmacology and Psychostimulants (Cocaine & Methamphetamine), and Basics of Pharmacology and Cannabis.

Learn more and enroll via the HealtheKnowledge.org website.

Supported by the fiscal agent ESD 112, Prevent is a regional 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

Planning curriculum for the fall? The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has a collection of free lessons and activities on the science and consequences of drug use. All lessons are based on national science and education standards and were developed by scientists from leading universities and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Each lesson has downloadable teacher and student materials.

Click here to check out the lessons!

Also available are NIDA Scientist Virtual Q&A Videos. Educators can use these videos as stand alone lessons or integrate them into existing curriculum. These short videos provide answers to teens’ top questions about drug use and addiction. Also great for educating adults!

Click here to check out the scientist virtual Q&A videos!