Training at Prevention First

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can impact a child’s immediate and lifelong health as well as the well-being of their families, communities, and even society. Thankfully, ACEs are preventable, and with the right support, children can develop the resilience necessary to heal from the ACEs they’ve endured. This online training will not only help you understand and recognize ACEs but will also provide useful strategies for trauma-informed care. Get the insights you need to create positive childhood experiences for kids today that will lead to bright futures for adults tomorrow.

This online training provides general information about substance use disorder and the impact of substance use on the brain and adolescent development. The training introduces drug classifications and types. Participants will further explore the effects and trends of the most widely used substances by teens - alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drugs. Participants will learn about the effects of each drug on the brain and body, signs and symptoms of use and state and national rates and trends of use. The training includes information and resources for IDHS SUPP providers to make referrals for early intervention or treatment services. It also provides strategies for applying this information to their work. Participants will obtain additional resources to learn more about the effects and trends of alcohol and other drugs (AOD).

Youth are critical partners in the development and implementation of programs and strategies that impact them. This course provides learners with the knowledge and skills to authentically engage youth in prevention and youth development programs. Topics include: adolescent development, the advantages of youth involvement, phases of authentic engagement, combating stereotypes and discrimination, adultism's impact, and effective youth recruitment and retention strategies. Participants will explore the importance of equitable power-sharing, recognize misconceptions, and understand how to engage youth effectively while navigating complexities in engagement practices.

This training was originally delivered as a live webinar in March 2023. After identifying the need for both live and self-study training opportunities, Prevention First partnered with Dr. Lance Williams, Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies at Northeastern Illinois University to offer the training in an asynchronous format. Dr. Lance Williams, known for his keen intellect and fierce determination to uplift youth at risk, will share his extensive research related to inequities surrounding recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of young Black men and will share his vast experience of introducing youth to their inner strengths. By taking this course, participants will feel empowered to help prepare young Black men for college success. Participants will learn about historic points of view, examine data and prominent barriers that impede many urban youth’s educational and career aspirations, identify potential strategies to overcome barriers, and understand why Black and Brown males should consider enrolling in highly selective colleges and universities. This course will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

This online course will increase participants’ knowledge and skills related to building relationships and collaborating with key community stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and engaging key stakeholders, building relationships and getting stakeholders on board, and convening local coalitions.

This online course will increase participants’ knowledge and skills related to building relationships and collaborating with key community stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and engaging key stakeholders, building relationships and getting stakeholders on board, and convening local coalitions.

During this webinar for CSUPS and SUPS grantees, CPRD addresses the commonly missed standards during FY24 annual reviews for both Communication Campaigns (CC) and Youth Prevention Education (YPE). This webinar will increase participants’ knowledge and understanding of data reporting requirements related to annual evidence-based strategy evaluations. Agencies who achieved below 80% for either or both strategies on their annual reviews will particularly benefit. Participants are encouraged to have a copy of their FY24 Annual Review Feedback Report of Evidence-Based Prevention Activities available for reference. This webinar originally aired live on May 19, 2025 and is approximately 45 minutes.

This online training provides an overview of environmental strategies and immerses participants in a scenario where they learn about the process of selecting environmental strategies that fit the community environment. Participants will learn what environmental strategies are and their benefits, which stakeholders to engage in the selection and implementation of environmental strategies, a process for identifying environmental strategies that match identified contributing factors and key components of building capacity for environmental strategies. 

This course will assist prevention education facilitators in strengthening their facilitation and classroom management skills. The course is designed for facilitators who implement prevention programs in schools, but who are not school staff. Participants will learn to identify and address facilitation-related challenges via three key strategies: building strong partnerships with classroom teachers, making minor curriculum adjustments to increase engagement and relevance to the audience, and applying effective facilitation techniques. Participants will also hear real-life tips from experienced classroom facilitators.

This online course is designed to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of health equity, emphasizing the urgent need for preventative measures in healthcare. Learners are invited to embark on a transformative journey from foundational knowledge to actionable strategies, ensuring that health equity is not just conceptualized but integrated into daily practices and organizational policies. Modules include: Health Equity 101, Health Equity 102, Exploring the Social Determinants of Health, Empowering Action, and Health Equity in Action. 

In this course, participants will explore the complexities of loss and how to help adolescents cope with loss. Topics include: grief and mourning, types of losses, stages of grief, finding meaning through loss, factors that complicate grief, characteristics of effective grief counselors, and signs of healing. By the end of this course, participants will be equipped to provide compassionate and effective support to grieving adolescents, fostering their emotional resilience and promoting healthy healing processes.

A Google search for "Cannabis" reveals over 500 million results in about half a second. The exact search in Google Scholar results in 934 thousand of scientific articles. And this is just online information. It's essential to remember that not all research related to alcohol, cannabis, and other drugs is reliable or relevant. Critically evaluating sources of information to ensure that reliable data is used in program planning and decision-making is essential. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be as tricky as it sounds. Identifying and Interpreting Alcohol, Cannabis, and Opioid Research is an online course designed for coalition members, municipal leaders, prevention professionals, and others working to prevent substance misuse in their communities. Upon completion of the course, participants can identify reputable, relevant research articles related to alcohol, cannabis, and opioids and apply a process to review, interpret, and correctly reference research to support prevention goals.

IISUP I: Welcome to Prevention is a self-paced, online course introducing participants to youth substance use prevention. Participants of this course will explore why prevention matters, including the rates, effects, and consequences of youth substance use. Participants will also examine milestones and trends of substance use in our society over time, how prevention efforts have evolved throughout history, and the components of effective prevention. This course consists of six modules. Estimated completion time for the entire course is 3 hours. Estimated completion time for each module is 30 minutes.