National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week is this Month! |
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March is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW)! Help connect youth in your community with resources and facts to shatter the myths about drugs, alcohol, and related topics by participating in this week-long national health observance.
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Join NIDA and other organizations across the nation Monday, March, 21 - March 27. There is still time to get involved and register! Check out all of the activities that teens, parents, caregivers, and teachers can implement during this week.
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"I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday."
— Elanor Roosevelt
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The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the ease of access to alcohol. Alcohol can be purchased online and delivered straight to your door. In this new resource, the APRC has outlined how big the issue is and how to address ease of access to alcohol at policy and enforcement levels. Policies such as increased taxes can affect alcohol consumption levels. Coalitions and law enforcement are the front-line in ensuring retailers have the tools so youth can’t access alcohol, such as providing BASSET training. Alcohol compliance checks should also be implemented consistently.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2022 — 10 AM - 11:30 AM
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Excessive alcohol use and violence have a close relationship. Numerous studies have documented a relationship between a high density of alcohol outlets and increased violence. There are significant disparities in alcohol outlet density: while alcohol consumption is highest among higher-income people, and while whites are far more likely than African American or Latinx people to report heavy drinking, across the country poor, African American and Latinx communities have far more than their share of alcohol outlets. This presentation will show the research behind these statements, the histories of structural racism that contributed to this situation, and the concrete steps that communities can take to influence and reduce alcohol outlet density within their borders.
Speaker: David Jernigan, PhD
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The Alcohol Policy Resource Center can assist with analyzing your data, scanning your community, and matching policy/strategy to assessment findings. If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to Kellie Henrichs or Jody Heavilin.
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Authentic Youth Engagement Part Two |
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You can now sign up for Authentic Youth Engagement part two, which is a continuation of the earlier webinar that can be found here. This 60-minute webinar features Nigel Wrangham and takes place on Tuesday, February 15 at 10 AM. It targets adults who work with youth: adults who seek to learn about authentic youth engagement; educators; and prevention professionals.
This training will help participants...
- Understand youth involvement vs youth engagement.
- Learn common misconceptions about youth.
- Understand tips and pitfalls when engaging youth.
- Learn roles for young people in prevention.
About the speaker...
- Nigel joins us from Eugene, Oregon.
- He is passionate about supporting young people to find and use the tools they need to build not just a better tomorrow, but a better today.
- Nigel is one of the founders of CADCA’s Youth Leadership program and has been training for CADCA since 2006.
- He works with groups across the United States, sharing skills in prevention, social justice, brain development, and youth leadership.
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Technical Assistance, commonly referred to as consulting or coaching, is a one-on-one service that provides timely, flexible, and targeted support to an organization. Using a collaborative approach, Prevention First builds a prevention professional’s capacity to address their local conditions and develop their own prevention solutions to amplify programmatic effectiveness. |
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Building Health Equity & Inclusion Resource
Understanding the nature of bias and recognizing your own biases is the first step in reducing the impact bias can have when interacting with the community you serve and the prevention services you offer. Get started by viewing the Unconscious Bias Training from the UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach.
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Online Training Spotlight
It’s not too early to begin planning for National Prevention Week in May! The Planning for National Prevention Week online training will give you information and tips and tools for planning and implementing activities to help you plan for a successful National Prevention Week.
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Online Self Study Courses |
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For more information about technical assistance or other services we offer,
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Don’t forget to check out the Traffic Safety Resource Center’s new webpage to find out more about the traffic safety programs and presentations we offer.

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Check Out Our New Webinar!
The Traffic Safety Resource Center is offering webinars to educate individuals on the teen Graduated License Laws. The Parent/Teen Graduated Driver License Law presentation is a free 90-minute evidence-based presentation offered by Prevention First. The in-depth traffic safety presentation educates parents about Illinois’ Graduated Driver License (GDL) law as well as provides them with the tools they need to monitor, coach, and support their new teen driver.
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Teen Safe Driving Program
There is still time to sign up and participate in our peer-to-peer teen safe driving program.
This program utilizes the power of youth to empower safe driving behaviors, by both the teens delivering the messages and the teens receiving them.

Each school that participates and completes the required guidelines will receive a $50 gift card. They will also have the opportunity to participate in a traffic safety PSA contest.
Get Your School Involved! It’s Easy!
The Traffic Safety Resource Center is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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The Cannabis Policy Resource Center Welcomes Jake Levinson as the New Program Administrator!
Prevention First is excited to have Jake join the CPRC and focus on building strong collaborations, developing high-quality resources, offering training opportunities throughout the state, and engaging with communities to identify their local cannabis use prevention goals.
Jake brings over a decade of substance use prevention experience and most recently was a Training & Technical Assistance Specialist for Prevention First.
Welcome, Jake!
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The Cannabis Policy Resource Center is always looking for partners! If you or your organization is interested in collaborating with the CPRC, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are looking for speakers, training opportunities, speaking opportunities, and more. If you have questions or are interested in collaborating, contact Kellie Henrichs, at kellie.henrichs@prevention.org.
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Drug-Free Communities (DFC) recently announced $12.5M available for new and continuous findings for coalitions tackling youth substance use prevention. Applications are due April 11, 2022. If interested, you can learn more here.
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New & Continuous Drug-Free Communities Funding Opportunities |
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IABH CONFERENCE
March 2022
The Illinois Association for Behavioral Health is hosting its annual conference in-person in Springfield next week, March 7-9 and virtually on March 30. 16 CEUs will be offered throughout the event. You can register on-site with an added $25 fee.
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RX Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit
April 2022
Join hundreds of law enforcement professionals, clinicians, government officials, family members, and advocates for the largest, most influential annual conference addressing the opioid and addiction crisis. The event is taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, from April 18-21. Reserve your spot while prices are so low!
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TRIBES REACH $590 MILLION OPIOID SETTLEMENT WITH J&J DISTRIBUTORS |
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Hundreds of Native American tribes have suffered disproportionally high substance use disorder and death rates during the opioid epidemic. Many of these tribes have agreed on a tentative settlement with Johnson & Johnson and the country's three largest drug distributors. Read more here.
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There's a Resource for That!
We have created and gathered helpful resources to help you deliver strategic and intentional prevention efforts. Visit our Substance Use Prevention Resource Center to find a collection of resource guides, video links, full toolkits and curriculums, tip sheets and more.
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Professional Development at Your Pace |
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Archived Webinars
Don't miss out on Prevention First's collection of live webinars to watch at your own convenience:
For APRC Webinars, visit their GoTo Stage for archived webinars.
For Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Webinars, visit their webpage.

For SUPR Treatment & Recovery Webinars, visit SUPR Training Events- Archived Webinar on the sidebar.
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