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Back to Prevention Stories
Building a Safer Future: A Community Conversation on Alcohol and Drug Prevention.
Hosted by:
Please briefly describe your Communities Talk activity.
The event included a series of interactive workshops and expert-led peer-to-peer discussions. We also provided informational resources and connected attendees with local support organizations. By sharing personal stories and community-specific data, we highlighted the real-life impacts of alcohol and drug misuse and emphasized the importance of prevention, early intervention, and strong support systems. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=sadd%20nation.
How does alcohol and other drug misuse affect your community?
Alcohol and drug misuse has a significant impact on our community, leading to increased rates of crashes, mental health issues, academic challenges, and strained family relationships. This event aimed to raise awareness and empower attendees to take proactive steps in preventing substance misuse, fostering a safer and more supportive environment for everyone, especially our youth.
Which prevention strategy(ies), as defined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, best fit your Communities Talk activity?
- Education Strategy - focuses on “two-way” communication between the facilitator and participants and aims to improve life/social skills such as decision making, refusal skills, and critical analysis.
- Alternative Strategy - focuses on redirecting individuals from potentially problematic situations and AOD use by providing constructive and healthy events/activities.
What goal(s) did you hope to accomplish with your Communities Talk activity?
- Hold meetings or discussion groups on alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention.
- Create alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention action groups (e.g., committees, task forces, and advisory boards).
- Start a youth-led coalition on alcohol and/or other drug misuse prevention.
- Build coalitions with other agencies or programs to reduce and prevent alcohol and/or other drug misuse.
- Reduce or limit alcohol and/or other drugs outlet density.
Did you accomplish your goal(s)?
Yes
What challenge(s) did you face in planning your activity this year?
- Lack of interest from the community
- Unforeseen difficulties when planning our activity
How did you overcome these challenges?
Lack of Community Interest: We reached out to local leaders, schools, and youth organizations to help spread the word about our event. Their involvement and support generated interest and added credibility, motivating more community members to participate.
Highlighting Personal Relevance: By sharing local data and real-life stories about the impact of alcohol and drug misuse on individuals and families, we emphasized the topic’s relevance to attendees. This approach helped people understand the importance of attending and engaging in solutions.
Flexible Format and Timing: We adjusted our event schedule and location to be more accessible for community members, ensuring it fit into their routines. We encountered unexpected logistical issues, such as venue changes and scheduling conflicts. To address these challenges, we maintained a flexible approach, prepared backup options, and made quick adjustments to stay on track. Despite these hurdles, the event successfully engaged the community, raised awareness, and provided valuable information and resources. Tackling these challenges strengthened our connections and created a more resilient foundation for future community initiatives.
What are your next steps?
- Host follow-up meetings or activities
- Create new action groups to tackle specific issues raised during our Communities Talk activity
- Expand our coalition with new partnerships in the community
- Our action plan focuses on sustaining the conversation on alcohol and drug misuse prevention by establishing a community task force, conducting ongoing educational workshops, partnering with local organizations, empowering youth leaders, and gathering feedback to evaluate our initiatives’ impact.
If you’ve conducted Communities Talk activities in prior years, how has your repeated participation contributed to progress in achieving your prevention goals?
Our repeated participation in Communities Talk has significantly advanced our prevention goals by strengthening community awareness, building partnerships, and increasing youth involvement in prevention efforts. Each year, we’ve been able to deepen the conversation around substance misuse, create ongoing programs, and reinforce our message of prevention in impactful ways.
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.
- Faith-based based organizations
- Law enforcement
- Youth-led organizations
- Secondary schools
- Elementary schools
- Colleges or universities
- Local chapters of national organizations
Which of the following best describes the primary audience(s) for your Communities Talk activity?
- Youth
- Parents
- Teachers or other education staff
- Prevention specialists and volunteers
How did you reach and engage your primary audience(s) to encourage them to participate in your activity?
We engaged our primary audience—students, parents, and educators—through direct school outreach, community partnerships, targeted social media campaigns, interactive workshops, and attendance incentives to encourage meaningful participation in our Communities Talk activity.
Which Communities Talk resources (or other SAMHSA resources) were most helpful for your activity?
- SAMHSA’s Event Planner
- Communities Talk planning guides
- Photos not uploading please email me if you want them - OHollis@sadd.org
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