The usually quiet Ohio Wesleyan University campus in Delaware County was abuzz with activity this past week as hundreds of teen and young adult leaders from as far away as Hawaii attended the Youth to Youth 2025 Summer Conference. Throughout the four-day conference, participants heard from dozens of speakers, met in small groups, and participated in interactive activities with a goal of returning home inspired and armed with action plans to promote prevention strategies in their communities.   

Youth to Youth is a Columbus-based organization with chapters around the world. The youth-led prevention program helps teens and young adults build confidence to say no to drugs, alcohol, and other negative influences, and serve as role models for others. 

The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) provided funding support that allowed Ohio participants to attend for a fraction of the full tuition. Jenifer Fraioli, Deputy Director of the Office of Family and Community Resiliency, (pictured) helped energize the crowd during the conference's opening ceremony on July 9, and encouraged participants to consider a future career in prevention. 

The award was given for a partnership between Montgomery County ADAMHS and two local organizations, GOODLIFE and Her Story. GOODLIFE is an in-school, restorative practice program aimed at providing life, resiliency and social skills for youth to prevent first substance use. Her Story has a holistic approach to preventing relapse and providing supports for pregnant women experiencing a substance use disorder. With services and supports provided across the behavioral health continuum of care, this partnership has greatly impacted the health and wellness of Montgomery County, which saw a 40.3% decrease in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024.

“We have been honored to receive achievement awards from NaCo in the past, but we are elated to have been named Best in Category for Human Services this year. It shows how much NaCo truly values partnership and collaboration from its members, which we exemplify particularly well in Montgomery County,” said Helen Jones-Kelley, ADAMHS Executive Director. “We have been supporters and funders of GOODLIFE and Her Story since their inceptions, and we could not be more thrilled to celebrate this partnership at NaCo.”

The recognition will take place at NaCo’s National Conference in Philadelphia on July 13. To read ADAMHS’ winning submission and see the other “Best in Category” winners,  visit NaCo’s award announcement page.

In June, the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition (MCPC) hosted its first-ever “Mindful Mocktail Tasting” in partnership with Lily’s, a restaurant in Dayton's historic Oregon District. The event featured a variety of creative and refreshing mocktail recipes developed by coalition committee members. Attendees voted for their favorite drink. MCPC plans to compile a recipe book featuring the various mocktails, while Lily’s will offer the winning mocktail — the Blueberry Mocktail (blueberries, mint leaves, lemon, and Sprite) — as a featured item on its upcoming menu.

More than 200 community members attended the event. MCPC distributed substance use prevention and 988 materials, gun locks, naloxone kits, and fentanyl test strips. Community members also talked with coalition representatives about changing their mindset around the drinks they consume and serve at social events.

“The more our kids see parents or trusted adults drinking — whether at home, at family events or out in the community — the more likely they are to normalize drinking and start at a younger age. We hope this event allows attendees to reconsider their relationship with alcohol and model better decisions for our young people,” said Karen Via, co-chair of the Cannabis and Alcohol Prevention committee of the MCPC.

The Ohio Substance Use Disorders Center of Excellence (SUD COE) at Case Western Reserve University's Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences has announced a series of upcoming trainings. Click the links below for more information and to register. Check out the SUD COE's calendar for a full schedule of trainings and events. 

July 15 | Crisis Intervention: The Integrated Experience
July 25 | Family Grief and Loss Experiences Following Unintentional Lethal Overdose

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Eating Disorder Center of Excellence will host a free Eating Disorder Awareness for School Providers webinar on July 24 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. The webinar aims to empower school-based service providers to recognize and support students at risk of or experiencing eating disorders by focusing on increasing public literacy about eating disorders, dispelling myths, and engaging the community in prevention and early intervention efforts.

Relink.org will host a Unite for Safe Social Media webinar on July 29 at 2:00 p.m. This webinar will provide practical tools to foster healthy social media habits and empower adults to advocate for thoughtful, child-centered public policies. The presentation will focus on child brain development and the impact of social media, tactics to keep children safe on social media, and current state of public policy initiatives designed to demand platform responsibility. Questions? Email info@relink.org. 

The Ohio Children's Alliance will host a virtual Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) workshop on Aug. 6-8. TF-CBT is a psychosocial treatment model designed to treat post-traumatic stress and related emotional and behavioral problems in children. Initially developed to address the psychological trauma associated with child sexual abuse, the model has been adapted for use with children who have a wide array of traumatic experiences, including domestic violence, traumatic loss, and the multiple psychological traumas experienced by children prior to foster care placement. This three-day workshop requires master’s level training completed or in process and prepares therapists and clinicians to use an innovative and evidence-based form of therapy for children. Cost is $345.

The Summit Victim Assistance Academy will host its next in-person Essentials of Victim Advocacy Training Aug.11-15 at the Dr. Bob Denton Training Room at 137 South Main Street, Suite 300, in Akron. The Essentials training is a nationally recognized 44-hour course. This hands-on course, facilitated by leading experts, is designed to empower participants with the knowledge and skills to provide effective support to survivors of crime and trauma. Those who successfully complete this course may apply to become a National Credentialed Advocate at the provisional level through the National Organization for Victim Advocacy’s National Advocate Credentialing Program. Visit NOVA's website for more information. Questions? Email SVAA@victimassitanceprogram.org. 

Save the date! The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation (OSPF) will host Together Forward: Action, Engagement and Advocacy in Suicide Prevention virtual conference on April 15-16, 2026. Whether you're a clinician, community leader, first responder, or have lived experience, this event is designed for you. Gain actionable tools, build meaningful relationships, and earn CEUs. The conference will feature powerful keynotes, interactive engagement, and focused tracks on advocacy, programming, policy, and response. More details will be available in the coming months.