Alcohol's Impact on Today's Youth
Presenter: Jody Heavilin, Alcohol Policy Resource Center at Prevention First
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Policy, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: This workshop discusses alcohol’s impact on youth and explores strategies and policies for prevention using local data and partnerships.
Improving the System for Timely Referrals: Youth at Risk for Suicide
Presenter: Kyra VanDoran, Alliance Chicago
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: This session reviews gaps in post-crisis care for youth at risk of suicide and presents policy recommendations informed by data and interviews across systems.
Empowering Without Exploiting: Ethical Youth Involvement in Campaign Work
Presenter: Monica George and Sanya Khatri, Alternatives
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Policy, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Covers ethical youth participation in campaigns, emphasizing compensation, safeguarding, and genuine decision-making roles.
Connecting Communities Using Data
Presenter: Kathleen Colon Wasik, Buehler Center for Health Policy and Economics, Northwestern University
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Mental Health, Policy, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Uses data from the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System to guide community-level intervention planning through data interpretation and application.
From Voice to Vision: Partnering with Youth as Community Changemakers for Prevention and Belonging
Presenter: Staci Allmaras, Lake County Service Cooperative
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Presents a framework for authentic youth-adult partnerships that foster belonging, leadership, and prevention impact.
Weaving It All Together: Integrating Prevention Across the Continuum
Presenter: Randi Derrig and Nadia Klekamp, Chestnut Health Systems
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Illustrates how prevention can be embedded across the care continuum with real-world grant examples and strategic frameworks like ROSC and SPF.
Empowering Adolescent Perspectives: Working through Safer Substance Use Strategies
Presenter: Jacqueline Mace, Ellie Mental Health
Areas of Interest: Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth Harm Reduction/Tertiary Prevention
Description: Explores harm reduction strategies for teens who use substances, emphasizing cultural and developmental considerations and youth-led insights.
Addressing Intoxicating Derived Cannabis in Communities
Presenter: Jake Levinson, Cannabis Policy Resource Center at Prevention First
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Policy, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuumo of Care
Description: Explains the risks of unregulated cannabis products and discusses strategies communities can implement to control access and reduce harm.
The ROOTS of the SPF Flower: Cultivating Preventoin in a Reactive World
Presenter: Valer Rasche, Chestnut Health Systems
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Policy, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Presents the ROOTS model to strengthen the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework by emphasizing proactive, systemic prevention efforts.
Building Youth Leaders from the Ground Up
Presenter: Riley Cleary, IABH/Operation Snowball
Areas of Interest: Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Highlights the Operation Snowball program's youth-led prevention and leadership model, offering tools to support youth voice and community engagement.
Why They Don't Believe Us: Rebuilding Credibility in Youth Drug Education
Presenter: Chris Schaffner, JOLT Foundation
Areas of Interest: Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Advocates for a harm reduction approach to youth drug education that builds trust and addresses outdated prevention messaging.
Understanding and Addressing the Rise of Bullying
Presenter: Josh Strelitz, Lake County Health Department
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: Analyzes bullying data and its relationship with substance use, providing integrated prevention strategies and coping skills.
Opioid Overdose Recognition and Prevention
Presenter: Imran Mohammed, SIU School of Medicine
Areas of Interest: Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: A hands-on session on identifying opioid overdose signs, administering naloxone, and understanding legal protections and resources.
Pushing Through the Prevention Wall: How to Empower Youth When You Lack Motivation
Presenter: Julie Berry and Leah Naraine, The IL Human Performance Project
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: Offers tools and inspiration to reinvigorate prevention efforts using a holistic lens on performance, mindset, and wellness strategies.
Innovative Approaches to Policy Advocacy Empowering Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Presenter: Dennis Trask, Sherrine Peyton, and Jordan Esser, ComWell Healthy Community Alliance
Areas of Interest: Policy, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: Focuses on advocacy strategies and real-life policy examples to equip participants with tools to lead change in substance use prevention policy.
From Scroll to Support: Effectively Marketing Prevention Messaging to Adolescents in Illinois
Presenter: Abbie Lee, IL Human Performance Project
Areas of Interest: Environmental Strategies, Mental Health, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Demonstrates how ILHPP uses digital marketing and social media to promote safe behaviors and prevention strategies among youth.
More Than a Rafferal: Building Trauma-Informed School Ecosystems for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention
Presenter: Monica George and Angie Nelson
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care
Description: Explores trauma-informed, school-wide mental health and substance use prevention strategies centered on equity and systemic change.
Vicious Cycle: The Challenges of Recovery from Substance and Trauma
Presenter: Kim Pinkston and Don Pinkston, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Treatment and Recovery
Description: Explores the interplay between trauma and substance use and provides recovery approaches grounded in education and somatic therapy.
Meeting Audiences Where They Are: They Evolution of Vaping Prevention in Lake County
Presenter: Danielle Ryan, Lake County Health Department
Areas of Interest: Substance Use Prevention and the Continuum of Care, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Reviews a multi-year campaign on youth vaping prevention, using data-driven strategies and digital outreach for behavior change.
Relevant, Relatable, Responsible: How You Can Be a Trusted Adult in Action
Presenter: Hannah Ewoldt, Northeast DuPage Family and Youth Services
Areas of Interest: Mental Health, Youth and Community Engagement
Description: Explores strategies to become a trusted adult for youth through relevance, relatability, and responsible support while maintaining boundaries.
Breaking the Silence: Unveiling the Suicide Crisis in Chicago's Black Community
Presenter: Rafiah Maxie-Cole, Soul Survivors of Chicago
Areas of Interest: Mental Health
Description: Addresses suicide in Chicago’s Black community, stigma, data trends, and healing through documentary segments and open discussion.