Finally! A training to help prevention and mental health focused community members and experts better understand what happens when a person seeks treatment for substance use situations. Treatment professionals actually engage in activities similar to prevention efforts. However, different jargon and outcomes measurements end up leaving these specialists on both side of the situation wondering, “What do they DO, anyway?” Many preventionists believe (mistakenly) if a youth has used alcohol or other drugs, “I can’t help.” All the while treatment staff are absolutely uninformed about the effectiveness of community/environmental prevention. Come, connect prevention and treatment; build bridges for a safer, healthier community.

Session 1:
Poverty is an everyday reality for more than 46 million Americans but often very misunderstood and riddled with myths and
misconceptions. This session is a “Poverty 101” workshop. We will offer some history and answer questions like: How is
“poverty” defined? How is the poverty level calculated? As well as Missouri specific information. We will also talk about the toxic
stress, trauma, and poverty.
Session 2:
Substance Abuse Prevention, Education, and Poverty: How to engage your community
As professionals it may be hard to connect the dots between services that you offer and the larger problem of poverty. In this
session we will discuss how to engage low income individuals in local activities. As well as how do you educate the community
to support these initiatives. We will offer concrete examples of strategies as well as having a discussion about what works in
local communities.

Build your community’s prevention equity on the top four substances of abuse for MO teens. Join us for an in-depth course to learn from experts on locally lead initiatives to reduce youth use, assess data from your community to formulate your business plan, and assemble YOUR community to have a vested interest in prevention.

Alcohol is the leading substance of abuse for Missouri teens, however, underage drinking laws vary from city to city.  Nancy McGee, JD, will discuss how to address underage drinking at the local level, assist with evidence based interventions, and help communities decide their best defense.

Marijuana has had so much media hype and big tobacco-like support, our youth’s perception of harm from marijuana is dwindling fast.  A community member from Clay County will discuss how they passed an ordinance to prohibit marijuana dispensaries, educate on its danger, and defend young brains from lasting damage.

Prescription drugs’ popularity is souring as more and more youth turn to them to relieve stress, feel better, or perform better.  Since the MO Senate has failed to pass a PDMP for several years straight, St. Louis County has worked together to devise a local PDMP.  Spring Schmidt will discuss how they formulated and funded their program and offer suggestions on how this can be done in your county.

Tobacco usage rates among MO teens remain higher than the national average.  Tobacco 21 is a local ordinance that requires everyone to be 21 to purchase tobacco.  Columbia has successfully become a T21 city.  Leah Martin, from the American Lung Association, will discuss the initiative and give pointers on how your community can be a T21 city too.

Using county-specific provided data, interpretive assistance from Susan Depue from MIMH, and a facilitator from SAMHSA’s Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies, Southwest, each community will decipher which substance to address, formulate an action plan to sustain a community wide ordinance, and leave with a blueprint for change.

Prevention works best at the community level, and according to Jeff Linkenbach: “There is tremendous freedom in knowing that the solutions organizations and communities seek to their problems already reside within these entities.”  ACT Missouri is happy to provide an avenue to this freedom!

As a certified facilitator for SOS or Signs of Suicide, I will lead an in depth discussion on warning signs of suicide, risk and protective factors of suicide, terms, beliefs, and behaviors that help reduce the stigma of death by suicide. As a group we will decipher between facts and myths of suicide and through presented stories decide on interventions for characters we believe are suicidal. A short video will be presented introducing right and wrong ways to address suicidality in a friend and the SOS acronym of ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) to aid future interactions with someone in distress. Lastly, a thought activity on reducing means to suicide will be discussed.

Most people aren’t looking for the perfect presentation. They are looking for someone to relate to and learn from, someone to connect with and feel inspired by the passion that exists within them. Presenting can be paralyzing for some and invigorating for others. This workshop will appeal to both ends of that spectrum, offering excellent tips to overcome anxiety and put together an engaging presentation with well-practiced delivery.

School-based Prevention is not just confined to when the bell rings. Research shows that the most effective prevention programs include community and family components. This presentation will offer education on how to assess the connection between your community and its school-based prevention efforts, including how to collaborate and utilize already existing programs to include the community and family. Real life examples will be shown on how this can be achieved.

“A skeptic once called coalitions and partnerships ‘unnatural acts between unconsenting adults’” — It doesn’t have to be that way! The SPF elements that are essential to build strong coalitions are key to building any strong, solid organization, but understanding those elements and communicating them to well-intentioned and eager community members can sometimes seem daunting and unnatural. “SPF Sound Bites – Making coalition building user-friendly!” works to break down the strategic prevention framework into understandable, easy-to-follow steps. Whether working with a new coalition, or working to sustain an established partnership, members of all organizations can benefit from these short, concise and user-friendly SPF explanations and applications.

Integrating the business sector in prevention efforts can sometimes be difficult or sometimes just takes a little “out of the box” thinking. Participants in this workshop will explore the benefits of building capacity with local business partners in prevention efforts. NCADA was able to work with a local company to produce a resource for underage alcohol use prevention. This experience will be shared, along with the content and science of prevention used to cultivate this relationship. Copies of the resource will be shared with all attendees. This tool can be used with students in any community addressing underage drinking prevention.

Online and physical messaging is key when engaging all ages of the community to know the power of positive prevention. One concept of positive prevention is the active bystander movement. In this workshop, attendees will learn how being an active bystander and encouraging others to do something will lead meaningful involvement in the community.

This workshop will discuss key findings of the Missouri Student Survey, including a quick overview of changes in the methodology. The majority of the workshop will be spent examining the data from the Missouri Student Survey before ending with information on additional resources.