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Break the Silence
Hosted by:
SIUE Department of Social Work
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
We hosted a wellness fair focused on domestic violence and substance abuse awareness. Integrating both issues helped attendees understand the interconnection and provide holistic support. We had several interactive activities that involved alcohol and marijuana impairment goggles to allow students to understand how substances interfere with our judgment. There was a Narcan demonstration, and local agencies practiced harm reduction by passing out Narcan and testing strips.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Alcohol and drug misuse negatively affects our community. While I do not have statistics, working in the Counseling Services office for the past 16 years has provided me with great insight into how detrimental substance misuse can be to the campus community.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Information Dissemination Strategy - focuses on improving awareness and knowledge of the effects of AOD issues on communities and families through “one-way” communication with the audience such as speaking engagements, health fairs, and distribution of print materials.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- I hope to speak with leadership individuals to reinstitute the substance abuse advisory board on campus.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- Nobody in the university has substance abuse prevention as a primary part of their job description. I am a full-time faculty member and decided to host this event because I am passionate about the topic.
How did you overcome these challenges?
I collaborated with the EOA/Title IX office and Campus Police as well as various student organizations in hopes of increasing participation.
What are your next steps?
- I would like to work toward reinstituting the substance abuse awareness committee on campus.
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
Partnering with on-campus and off-campus entities helped to increase involvement and participation.
Organizations that conduct Communities Talk activities often involve other organizations in the planning and execution of events. Please indicate which type(s) of organizations you involved in your activity planning.
- Law enforcement
- Colleges or universities
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
We coordinated digital advertising, word of mouth, collaboration with faculty to incorporate the event into their course syllabi to offer credit for attendance and participation, and social media advertising.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- Communities Talk website
- Communities Talk toolkits
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