Finding the right mix of volunteers for local prevention efforts can be tricky. No one wants to waste valuable time or resources, but we are left with a series of questions as we look to involve the next generation of leaders, including young adults (ages 18-25) throughout the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) process. What’s their incentive? Who are their connections? Where is their help most needed? How do we bring them into the fold? During this session we will go beyond wishing, hoping, and dreaming that our strategies are sticky enough to move Gen Z (and others) to join local prevention efforts.
Most people start using tobacco in their pre-teen and teen years, a time during which a youth’s brain is still growing, making it easier to get addicted to the nicotine in tobacco. That’s why it’s important to educate youth about the dangers of tobacco and the fact that they are targeted by the tobacco companies and should say “no” to starting.
Increasing the price of tobacco products and presenting messages that counter the tobacco industry’s marketing are among the ways in which we can help youth never start using tobacco.
Policies that make “tobacco-free” the norm and that protect youth from getting and using these deadly products are also important. 24/7 tobacco-free school policy, prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, and having tobacco-free outdoor parks and beaches are all examples of policies that may help prevent kids from using tobacco.
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is the name given to a group of battery-operated tobacco products that allow users to inhale aerosolized liquid (e-juice) containing nicotine and other substances.
The terms “e-cigarettes” and “e-cigs” are often used for electronic cigarettes, as well as for e-pens, e-pipes, e-hookah, and e-cigars. These products are also sometimes called “JUULs” (after a branded e-cigarette of the same name), “vapes,” and “vape pens.”
Unlike traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes are made up of a battery-operated heating part — a cartridge (unit) that typically holds nicotine and other chemicals that change into a chemical-filled aerosol when heated.
Environmental scanning aims to identify your community’s risk factors that can contribute to underage or excessive alcohol consumption. Conducting a scan allows you to observe and document the 4 P’s: Price, Product, Promotion, and Placement. Recording these observations and pairing that information with other assessment data, such as youth survey data, allows you to create a clear picture of alcohol in your community. From that picture, you can then identify strategies to reduce underage and excessive use of alcohol.
These resources will provide the updated tobacco-free school model policy and the new model code of conduct. This list was developed to support schools with implementation of new policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use and vaping on school grounds and at school-sponsored events.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Use, Gambling, and Epidemiology Section has allocated funding to Prevention Network (PN) through the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Supplemental to expand two programs in the state of Michigan: the Michigan Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (MCRUD), and Parenting Awareness Michigan (PAM). In addition, this funding establishes a third program around youth coalition development. To guide program expansion across the state, the Michigan Youth Coalition Network (MYCN) was created as an extension of Prevention Network. The MYCN will provide professional development opportunities, resources, and support to coalitions working with youth around substance use disorder (SUD) prevention. Within the MYCN, a statewide MYCN coordination position has been created. The MYCN Coordinator will assess current youth programming activities, provide resources and support to new and existing coalitions interested in involving youth in coalition practices, and coordinate coalition leadership development opportunities.
Risk and protective factors are a set of influences that can be present in the individual, family, social/peer and community/society domains. Risk factors found in society include discrimination, marginalization, and poverty. Societal protective factors include culture and religion.
The Behavioral Health Treatment Needs Assessment Toolkit is intended to provide states and other payers with information on the prevalence and use of behavioral health services; step-by-step instructions to generate projections of utilization under insurance expansions; and factors to consider when deciding the appropriate mix of behavioral health benefits, services, and providers to meet the needs of newly eligible populations. The Toolkit was developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Implementation Toolkit
Noble SWAT Drug Free Communities’ mission is to build community partnerships to
prevent substance abuse, engage families and empower youth to positively impact our
community. Noble SWAT DFC is youth lead – adult guided.
Plan template
Effective prevention practices just don’t sustain themselves. To produce and maintain positive substance misuse prevention outcomes, communities and organizations need to sustain the prevention practices responsible for those outcomes. These include implementing: Effective strategic planning processes and Interventions that work.