Substance Abuse Prevention Basics

2006 Prevention Basics

 The Office of Substance Abuse Research, Department of Health Sciences and the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) are current partners in the delivery of fifteen, one-day Prevention Basics for VTSF (PBVTSF) Workshops.  The dates of workshops may be found at www.vtsf.org. This partnership and funding builds on the successes of the State Incentive Grant Prevention Basics for VTSF series funded by the Governor’s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention.

JMU Staff

 Co Directors:              Dr. Jeanne Martino-McAllister, Dr. Terry Wessel

 Project Coordinator:    Tracey Kite

 Trainers/Consultants: George Banks, Susan Chibnall, Virginia Hardin, Steve Hixon, Valerie                                   Liggins, Peggy Richardson, Gail Taylor,  Laura Yager,

Workshop Objectives

·         To ensure VTSF grantees, potential grantees, community- and school-based prevention professionals/personnel throughout Virginia are “reading from the same page,” by offering up-to-date knowledge and skills to develop and implement scientifically sound prevention strategies

·         To promote science-based prevention programs and strategies in communities throughout Virginia.

·         To make information, training, and technical assistance readily available to prevention professionals throughout the Commonwealth.

·         To increase the capacity of prevention professionals to select and implement successfully scientifically sound prevention programs.

Workshop Descriptions

Prevention Basics for VTSF Level I – Building a Common Knowledge Base is a seminar that focuses on cutting-edge prevention theory, research, and practice.  This seminar is designed for current practitioners who are either new to prevention or experienced practitioners who wish to make sure that their prevention practices are up-to-date. 

Materials from level one of the trainings assist prevention providers by compiling basic science-based prevention information in a single resource – the Prevention Basics for VTSF Participant’s Handbook. 

 
Prevention Basics for VTSF Level I is designed to assist participants to integrate this valuable information into practice.  This involves helping participants link what research says into actual key prevention practice issues.  Co-facilitators assist with this linkage by comparing and contrasting what is being presented with both positive and negative real-world examples. These examples may come from the instructor’s own experience or from workshop participants’ participation. Levels II and III build on these basics and emphasize skill development. 

Prevention Basics for VTSF Level II – Skills for Assessing Needs and Evaluating for Results is a seminar designed for individuals involved in prevention coordination and program development. The goal is to develop skills in conducting needs assessments and program evaluations. This seminar is designed for current practitioners who are either new to prevention or experienced practitioners who wish to make sure that their prevention practices are up-to-date. 

As with Prevention Basics for VTSF – Level I, this seminar is designed to help participants in integrating the curriculum information into practice.  Co-facilitators assist with this integration by offering examples of assessment practices, instruments, and programmatic implications.  Likewise, co-facilitators help practitioners in understanding the need, value, and necessity of evaluating a program.
 

Prevention Basics for VTSF Level III – Building Capacity for Sustainability is a seminar designed to develop skills that will reinforce community-based prevention planning and implementation at the broad community-wide level.  The training will emphasize cross-agency collaboration.

Building Capacity for Sustainability includes a comprehensive curriculum focusing on foundations (stages of change, community readiness/ mobilization and sustainability), skills for successfully building your coalition, skills for coalition management, advocacy and public relations. 

As with Prevention Basics for VTSF – Level I and Level II, this seminar is designed to assist participants to integrate the information into practice.  Through use of both actual and fabricated scenarios, skilled co-facilitators offer examples of successful leadership development, recruiting techniques for building a strong team, means of grooming champions, successful management of a coalition, and winning advocacy methods. Likewise, co-facilitators assist practitioners to understand the need, value, and necessity of strong, community-wide capacity building for prevention.