Training at Prevention First

This workshop focuses on how to prevent or reduce mental health issues among boys and men of color (BMOC) by promoting the protective factors that counter the risk factors (social determinants of health) that too often keep BMOC in survival mode. Using a “protective factors framework” with BMOC living in urban communities labeled as low-income can provide inoculation against the stressors they might face early on in life. This content will provide youth development and violence prevention professionals with the skills needed to thrive, even in the face of repeated exposure to extreme poverty and adverse childhood experiences.

Learning Objectives

After this training, participants will:

• Gain knowledge about urban America’s unique brand of trauma that boys and young men of color navigate when living in communities of low-income
• Gain an understanding of why protective factor interventions should be implemented as population-health intervention using a trauma-informed approach
• Engage in a discussion about why and how some young men of color are not only surviving but thriving
• Review case studies, examples, and evaluation methods of innovative projects designed to improve health and life outcomes.

This workshop focuses on how to prevent or reduce mental health issues among boys and men of color (BMOC) by promoting the protective factors that counter the risk factors (social determinants of health) that too often keep BMOC in survival mode. Using a “protective factors framework” with BMOC living in urban communities labeled as low-income can provide inoculation against the stressors they might face early on in life. This content will provide youth development and violence prevention professionals with the skills needed to thrive, even in the face of repeated exposure to extreme poverty and adverse childhood experiences.

Learning Objectives

After this training, participants will:

• Gain knowledge about urban America’s unique brand of trauma that boys and young men of color navigate when living in communities of low-income
• Gain an understanding of why protective factor interventions should be implemented as population-health intervention using a trauma-informed approach
• Engage in a discussion about why and how some young men of color are not only surviving but thriving
• Review case studies, examples, and evaluation methods of innovative projects designed to improve health and life outcomes.

Register now for the 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Recovery Network (SIRN) Regional Conference, a dynamic, one-day event designed to support, connect, and strengthen the workforce serving individuals and communities impacted by substance use and recovery.  

Thanks to funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Opioid Learning and Response Collaborative is able to waive registration fees for a limited number of participants. We encourage you to register early to secure your spot at SIRN at no cost. 

This conference brings together community health workers, peer support specialists, recovery professionals, and organizational leaders from across Southern Illinois to explore innovative strategies, share best practices, and build meaningful connections. Focused on enhancing workforce capacity across the region’s lower 18 counties, the event offers a unique opportunity to engage in conversations that matter, centered on sustainability, wellness, and community impact. 

Participants will experience: 

• Inspiring keynote sessions from leaders in the field  
• Interactive breakout sessions focused on recovery support, workforce development, and community health initiatives  
• Practical tools and strategies to prevent burnout, strengthen connections, and improve service delivery  
• Networking opportunities with peers and partners across the region  
• Recognition of outstanding leaders through our conference awards  

Doors open at 8:30. The day also includes donuts and coffee for a light welcome breakfast. Lunch will be provided, with time built in for networking and connecting with peers.  

The Prevention First RYD Team is excited to host learning sessions for new facilitators of the IDHS-approved Civic Engagement and Leadership Development Curriculum. This in-depth session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum and offer best practices for implementing the civic engagement and leadership development program.

Participants should expect to leave the training with innovative ideas, resources, and connections that will be useful in collaborating beyond the training space.

Learning Outcomes

After this training session, participants will be equipped with practical tools and strategies to support the successful implementation and adaptation of the program. Specifically, participants will be able to:

• Plan for effective facilitation by developing a working agenda or outline tailored to their setting and audience.
• Adapt and modify content thoughtfully to align with program goals, integrating key skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving.
• Prepare for delivery of each unit by identifying, reviewing, and securing all materials, equipment, and handouts needed for facilitation.
• Facilitate the curriculum confidently and effectively, ensuring a supportive learning environment for all participants.

*Important Note: The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) – Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP) requires that all youth participants in the Reimagine Youth Development (RYD) Grant Program receive instruction through the Civic Engagement and Leadership Development Curriculum. This curriculum is a mandatory component of the RYD program and is designed to foster youth leadership and civic responsibility, encourage positive community engagement, build essential life skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving, and promote a sense of agency and empowerment among youth most impacted by firearm violence. All RPSA-funded organizations are responsible for ensuring that this curriculum is delivered with fidelity and with appropriate adaptations to meet the needs of their specific populations, while maintaining the integrity of the program’s core goals.

In this training, participants will learn to establish and lead a youth advisory committee to support local substance use prevention efforts. Participants will learn best practices for engaging youth in advisory roles, establishing an advisory committee structure and strategies for recruitment and retention of youth advisors. Participants will also learn appropriate roles for youth committee members in substance use prevention activities.

Step away from your day-to-day and join fellow Substance Use Prevention professionals for a day designed with everyone in mind—whether you enjoy lively conversations or prefer more low-key interactions. There’s no pressure—just meaningful opportunities to meet peers, exchange ideas, and strengthen the prevention community.

We are excited to partner with IDHS leadership, who will attend each networking event to lead a listening session to inform the strategic planning process for strengthening and enhancing the SUPP system. This event is an opportunity for grantees to ask questions, share insights, experiences, and recommendations that will help shape future improvements. Whether you’re new to SUPS/CSUPS or a seasoned grantee, your voice matters—and this is your chance to help shape what’s next.

Additional time will be spent working with your peers in groups to share successes and brainstorm new ideas to enhance the great prevention work you are already doing!

This longstanding MEE Productions workshop is a valuable learning experience for frontline and supervisory staff working primarily in communities impacted by gun violence and substance misuse. Using an interactive approach, this in-person workshop will deliver skills attendees can use immediately to raise the level and effectiveness of outreach and engagement activities.

Learning Objectives

After this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify and classify key differences between oral-based and literate-based cultures
• Identify and apply a mix of strategies that will result in more effective communication and relationship-building efforts, including a combination of digital outreach (high-tech) and on-the-ground encounters (high-touch)
• Increase their awareness and understanding of the worldview and specific cultural and communication dynamics of communities of color facing the highest health disparities.
• Understand the steps required to develop trauma-informed, culturally relevant, and street-credible messaging and materials
• Develop messages that embed references to stress and trauma, resilience and healing that resonate with youth and families

Step away from your day-to-day and join fellow Substance Use Prevention professionals for a day designed with everyone in mind—whether you enjoy lively conversations or prefer more low-key interactions. There’s no pressure—just meaningful opportunities to meet peers, exchange ideas, and strengthen the prevention community.

We are excited to partner with IDHS leadership, who will attend each networking event to lead a listening session to inform the strategic planning process for strengthening and enhancing the SUPP system. This event is an opportunity for grantees to ask questions, share insights, experiences, and recommendations that will help shape future improvements. Whether you’re new to SUPS/CSUPS or a seasoned grantee, your voice matters—and this is your chance to help shape what’s next.

Additional time will be spent working with your peers in groups to share successes and brainstorm new ideas to enhance the great prevention work you are already doing!

The Opioid Learning and Response Collaborative (OLRC) is hosting its next Regional Networking Event on June 4, 2026 in Chicago, IL. This event will bring together professionals working in prevention, harm reduction, and street outreach to build connections and break down silos.

Attendees will hear presentations from the West Side Heroin Opioid Taskforce. West Side will provide a presentation entitled “Addressing the Opioid Overdose Epidemic on the Westside of Chicago through Stakeholder Engagement and Peer-led Street Outreach” led by Fanya Burford-Berry, Richard Vargas, and members of the street outreach team. This presentation will use a didactic and interactive demonstration format to convey our real-world implementation of a peer-led services model overdose prevention street outreach program. The West Side Heroin Opioid Task Force is a community collaboration with the mission to reduce overdoses in Chicago’s West side communities of Austin, East and West Garfield, North Lawndale and Humboldt Park. Prevention Partnership Inc., serves as the coordinating agency.

Prevention First will present about the OLRC (mission, background, and purpose), provide a tutorial on the new OLRC website and resource hub, and introduce upcoming events and opportunities. Attendees will leave having learned of a new resource to utilize and how OLRC can be a support for professionals and communities across Illinois.

This event is open to all interested parties, with a focus on individuals with lived experience, those who supervise PLEs, and direct service workers.