2026 Breakout Sessions

In the United States, 1 in 7 pregnancies are exposed to alcohol. Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is the leading, preventable cause of lifelong disability fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Despite its prevalence, stigma and systemic barriers continue to limit effective prevention and support. Drawing on Indigenous Ways of Knowing (IWOK), this session shares community-informed strategies that center relationships, holistic wellness, and lived experience. Attendees will explore how IWOK can shape more effective prevention, education, and service delivery efforts that honor Indigenous knowledge systems. Overall, participants will gain practical understanding of how culturally grounded approaches can strengthen efforts to prevent PAE and improve outcomes for individuals and families impacted by FASD.

Bounce Back is an innovative and growing initiative from CentraCare that strengthens resilience and promotes well-being through the power of happiness, connection, and purpose. This session introduces participants to practical, evidence-based tools designed to support emotional wellness and enhance adaptability in both personal and professional settings. Participants will explore the core principles of resilience and learn how everyday practices—such as acts of kindness, gratitude, mindfulness, social connection, self-care, and the “Three Good Things” exercise—can significantly improve mental health and overall well-being. The session will highlight five key pillars of resilience: self-awareness and self-care, purpose and motivation, social connection, adaptability, and mindfulness. Together, these pillars provide a foundation for navigating stress, recovering from setbacks, and thriving in the face of challenges. Attendees will also examine the science behind resilience, including how it can be developed over time rather than being an innate trait. Research underscores the critical role of supportive relationships in building resilience, showing that even one stable, caring connection can help individuals—especially children—adapt and overcome adversity. By the end of the session, participants will walk away with actionable strategies and tools they can immediately apply to build resilience within themselves, their teams, and the communities they serve. Key Takeaways: •        Understand the five core pillars of resilience •        Apply simple, evidence-based practices to improve emotional well-being •        Strengthen personal and professional resilience skills •        Recognize the impact of supportive relationships in overcoming adversity •        Integrate resilience-building strategies into everyday life

Over the past decade, communities across the country have implemented individual prevention strategies—school education, coalition work, policy change, and public awareness campaigns. Yet these efforts often operate in isolation.  This session shares a real-world community case study from Clay County, Minnesota demonstrating how prevention strategies can function as an integrated system rather than separate initiatives. Participants will learn how local policy efforts, Positive Community Norms campaigns, youth engagement, and HOPE-informed approaches to Positive Childhood Experiences were intentionally layered to reinforce one another.  The presentation will highlight lessons learned from five years of implementation, including how correcting community misperceptions, strengthening protective factors, and aligning policy with messaging can shift youth substance use culture over time. The session will also explore how prevention professionals can move beyond individual programs toward a community prevention ecosystem that strengthens resilience across schools, families, and local institutions.  Participants will leave with practical strategies for connecting prevention frameworks, improving collaboration across sectors, and building prevention systems that reinforce healthy norms in their communities.

Wilderness Health's Lived Experience Advisory council has been reshaping prevention by centering community voices, reducing stigma and strengthening protective factors across Northeastern Minnesota. In this session, Laura Rosier (LGSW) will share how this model is grounded in the dimensions of wellness, with reflected feedback from community conversations who wanted prevention and recovery framed holistically- not just around the use or misuse of substances but around emotional, social, spiritual and community well being. Participants will learn how facilitated conversations in everyday spaces create accessible entry points for rural residents to explore substance use risks, decrease isolation and identify protective factors for self, in your region. We will also showcase our micro-storytelling social media campagin, co-designed with people with lived experience and regional workgroups that highlights resilience, hope and wellness- not shame or blame. This session offers practical tools for prevention planning, building wellness centered communication strategies and fostering cross sector collaboration that supports healthier communities, even those with high substance misuse statistics.  

Substance use prevention education plays a crucial role in creating shame-free, supportive prevention environments and in promoting positive health outcomes for youth. Existing evidence-based curriculums for substance use prevention share a common goal: to engage youth in the content. However, engaging youth in a meaningful way can be difficult!    Connecting with youth in ways that engage them, start conversation and emphasize hands on learning is vital for substance use prevention education. With the Rings of Engagement from the UMN’s Center for Youth Development, youth voices are centered throughout the planning, creation and implementation of myHealth’s evidence-informed substance use prevention programming. Throughout this process, building authentic relationships with youth and consistently looking for ways to give youth agency in their learning are needed to ensure meaningful education.    Youth-informed education programming empowers youth by fostering agency, building supportive networks, and facilitating open dialogue on health-related topics. Moreover, hands on learning, activities, and conversation starters created through collaboration with youth have shown to be effective in prevention programming, including topics relating to mental well-being and substance misuse.    This session will address the guiding principles of youth engagement, a framework for integrating engaging activities and games in lessons, and methods to connect with youth in meaningful ways through existing substance use awareness programs. Leave inspired to connect with your community’s youth through health education. Game on!

Wondering if your substance misuse prevention programs are having the impact you desire? Logic models are the secret to selecting and implementing effective substance misuse prevention strategies and showing their impact. This workshop will demystify logic models with a simple, step-by-step approach that transforms how you plan, implement, and evaluate prevention efforts. Walk away with the tools to build solid logic models that connect your activities directly to meaningful outcomes.

This workshop provides a practical introduction to the Positive Community Norms framework and Science of the Positive,  followed by a hands-on session where participants apply these concepts to real data. After a concise overview of the frameworks, participants will work through guided exercises to transform raw data into structured PCN messaging.By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to interpret data through the PCN lens, apply SOTP to organize their thinking, and confidently build concise, effective messaging for their own use cases.

In the field of primary prevention, we often focus on what to avoid. This session shifts the narrative toward what we can actively build. Through the lens of "Movement as Medicine," Brooke and Andrea Herbert demonstrate how physical activity serves as a powerful protective factor by physically and chemically rewiring the brain to handle stress and resist substance misuse. This interactive experience bridges the gap between movement science and mental health. Participants will dive into the research-backed benefits of how specific physical habits influence the mind-body connection, enhancing executive function and emotional regulation. Rather than a traditional lecture, this session utilizes "micro-habits"—short, actionable movement bursts—to give attendees real-time proof of an immediate shift in cognitive clarity and well-being. By the end of the session, prevention professionals, educators, and community leaders will have a framework-based roadmap to integrate movement-based resilience into their local programs, moving "upstream" to support long-term community health.

The State of Minnesota legalized adult-use cannabis in 2023, creating new opportunities for health education, regulation, and responsible use—but also new challenges in protecting youth access to cannabis products. As sales of ​​low-potency​​​ ​ hemp edible products (such as edibles and beverages) have continued to increase and dispensaries have opened throughout the state, ensuring retailers are complying with state regulations prohibiting sales of cannabis products to people under 21 years of age is an important strategy for reducing youth access to these products. This session will share information about a new online retailer training on proper ID checking protocols and product eligibility​ and ​a “Compliance Checks Toolkit” from the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center and Association for nonsmokers-MN. ​​​ ​The goals of this session are to (1) provide education and training on youth access laws and laws on the retail sale of cannabis products, (2) ​​educate participants on resources to ​​increase retailer compliance and ​​keep cannabis products out of the hands of youth and young adults under 21​​​​ ​​, and (3) ​​discuss systems level approaches to using these resources to reduce youth access to cannabis products. ​​​ ​ ​​Time will be spent reviewing the online training​, dis​cussing how to promote the training, and the role that local ​​municipalities​​ can play in creating and supporting responsible retailers.

Youth are the future, and they are also powerful leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders of society right now. Many issues being advocated for today will directly impact their lives in the future. Involving youth in advocacy ensures their perspectives and concerns are taken into account in shaping policies and legislation.   Youth are powerful advocates in commercial tobacco use prevention. They have the energy, passion, and idealism that can resonate with both policymakers and the wider public. When young people speak up, their voices often draw attention, create momentum, shift community norms, and drive meaningful policy change. Their personal stories and experiences add an element to advocacy efforts, making it more compelling for lawmakers to understand the real impact of their decisions. At the same time, youth are the tobacco industry’s ideal customer. So, it is imperative they have a seat at the table and engage in commercial tobacco prevention advocacy. If they have positive experiences and see the impact of their efforts, they are more likely to remain engaged throughout their lives, leading to sustained efforts in addressing societal challenges, not just in commercial tobacco. With more than 63+ youth advocates, Tobacco-Free Alliance and the Association for Nonsmokers-MN will highlight successful strategies to engage youth in policy change at the school, local, and state level with innovative ideas to amplify the work. From peer-to-peer education, to press conferences, youth are leading powerful efforts to create healthier communities and drive meaningful policy change. In this session, we will share real life examples of how youth have taken action in their communities to address the youth vaping epidemic.

“Harm reduction” is a familiar and valuable public health strategy, but in commercial tobacco, it’s become a marketing tool. Tobacco companies increasingly use harm -reduction language to position nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, and other non-combustible products as safer alternatives, while continuing to recruit new users and sustain nicotine addiction. This session begins with a public health lens. Willow Anderson (Public Health Law Center) will explore how harm reduction has long supported effective interventions and why those examples are not the same as industry-led claims about nicotine products. She will examine how the tobacco industry uses this language to normalize emerging products, influence policy debates, and appeal to youth and young adults. Next, Alyssa Brueggen (Tobacco-Free Alliance) will shift the focus to the retail environment, where smoke shops and convenience stores use sales strategies to promote these products and push back against flavor restrictions before they take hold. Participants will explore how profit motives shape product placement, messaging, and customer targeting. Gabrielle Horsford (Association for Nonsmokers–Minnesota) will then examine how nicotine pouches and other non-combustible products are marketed. You’ll have a hands-on opportunity to see and handle what these products look like, and how they differ from FDA-approved cessation therapies.  She will also show how misinformation can weaken prevention efforts and confuse community education. Grounded in the theme “Forward Together: Building Resilience, Collaboration, and Community,” this session will close with practical prevention strategies that strengthen shared messaging, support cross-sector partnerships, and advance local action to protect youth.

Smoke-free housing policies are an effective way to ensure residents of multi-unit housing have the right to breathe clean air in their homes. Some communities are more likely to live in multi-unit housing, making them especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke exposure. Smoke-free policies are a social justice issue that help reduce these health disparities. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has supported efforts to increase smoke-free multi-unit housing through the adoption of comprehensive voluntary policies implemented by grantees since 2007.  This session is divided into two parts. In Part 1, participants will learn the results of a statewide assessment conducted by MDH in 2024 to determine secondhand smoke exposure and assess support for smoke-free policies among adults living in multi-unit housing, and resources MDH has developed to support partners’ use of these findings. In Part 2, participants will learn how to support renters exposed to secondhand smoke and how to partner with housing providers to implement smoke-free housing policies. Learnings will be based in real world examples from Hennepin County’s smoke-free housing initiative and will highlight free tools, resources, and tips from a former property manager turned public health planner.   Attendees will leave the session with new information and tools to support smoke-free multi-unit housing initiatives in their communities.

This interactive session explores how faith leaders, community organizations, and trusted messengers can work together to create culturally specific and responsive prevention strategies in Black communities. Using real-life examples from outreach efforts in St. Paul’s Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods, attendees will learn how relationship-centered approaches can build trust, reduce stigma, and connect youth and families to support before crisis happens.  The session will highlight innovative grassroots models such as pop-up outreach events, food and resource distribution, youth engagement activities, mentorship, and community-based harm reduction efforts that meet people where they are. Participants will also explore how faith communities can move beyond traditional church walls to become active partners in prevention, healing, and community resilience.  High-school-aged attendees will connect with this session through honest conversations about peer pressure, mental health, substance misuse prevention, identity, leadership, and the importance of safe and supportive community spaces. Youth will gain practical examples of how they can become leaders and changemakers in their schools and neighborhoods through service, advocacy, and mentorship.  Attendees will leave with:  * A better understanding of culturally responsive prevention practices * Strategies for building trust with youth and underserved communities * Practical ideas for engaging schools, families, and faith communities * Tools for creating prevention efforts rooted in compassion, connection, and community collaboration  This session is designed to inspire communities to rethink prevention by focusing on relationships, culture, and collective responsibility — proving that healing and prevention are most effective when people feel seen, heard, and valued.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a practical, evidence-based communication approach that helps professionals engage individuals and communities in meaningful conversations about change. While MI is often associated with clinical settings, its principles are highly applicable to prevention work across sectors. This interactive session will explore how MI can be used by prevention professionals to strengthen engagement, navigate resistance, and support behavior change at both the individual and community level. Participants will learn how MI aligns with primary prevention strategies by enhancing protective factors such as connection, autonomy, and self-efficacy. Through discussion and real-world examples, this session will highlight how MI can support collaboration across systems, improve communication with diverse populations, and contribute to more effective prevention efforts. Participants will leave with practical tools and strategies they can immediately apply in their work with youth, families, and communities.

Community coalitions play a critical role in prevention efforts by bringing together a variety of stakeholders to be thought partners in addressing complex prevention issues. This interactive workshop explores why coalitions are essential for sustainable prevention work and provides practical strategies for strengthening coalition engagement, leadership, collaboration, and long-term effectiveness. Participants will learn how successful coalitions build community capacity, leverage shared resources, improve communication across sectors, and create measurable impact. The session will also examine common barriers that limit coalition effectiveness and offer tools to increase participation, accountability, evidence-based, and strategic action. Join us in discussing how coalitions contribute to successful prevention outcomes in our communities.

One of the most dangerous public perceptions is, “I did it when I was a kid and I turned out fine.” Fast forward a few decades, and today’s youth drug landscape looks very different. Many of the trends filling headlines and flooding social media are in classes all their own. Novel and re-imagined products and devices now pose new and evolving threats to teens and young adults. While awareness is only part of the solution, addressing these trends requires an informed and engaged community response. This session will explore the latest youth drug trends, emerging products and devices, and the ways industry practices and social media are fueling these risks.

Too often intervention begins after harm has already happened. After suspension. After arrest. After overdose. After violence. After a young person has already begun to disappear emotionally. Real prevention starts earlier. Protection Before Punishment explores how mentorship, brotherhood, belonging, identity, discipline, and opportunity can serve as frontline prevention tools for youth and young adults. Through lessons from 100 Black Men Twin Cities, presenters share how trusted relationships and consistent leadership reduce risk factors connected to substance misuse, violence, hopelessness, and disengagement. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to build prevention systems rooted in connection, accountability, and community trust.

Substance use disorders do not develop in isolation, and neither does healing. Family systems profoundly influence both risk and protective factors related to substance use, yet caregivers and family members are often overlooked in prevention and recovery efforts. This workshop explores how intergenerational trauma, learned behavioral patterns and chronic stress within the family system can contribute to increased vulnerability for substance use across generations.  Drawing from evidence-informed approaches including the Strengthening Families Program, The Family Check-up Model, Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) and the use of genograms, participants will examine practical strategies for engaging families as essential partners in prevention, treatment and recovery. The session will highlight how family-centered interventions can reduce stigma, improve communication, strengthen positive interactions amongst family members and increase resilience within the family system.  Participants will gain tools to help families recognize unhealthy relational patterns, build protective factors and create environments that support long-term healing and recovery outcomes. Through a trauma-informed and strengths-based lens, this presentation emphasizes the power of connection, collaboration and caregiver engagement to interrupt cycles of substance use and foster generational resilience.  This workshop is designed for prevention professionals, educators, clinicians, peer support specialists and community partners seeking practical, family-centered approaches to substance use prevention and recovery support.

Join Substance Misuse Prevention Specialist Laura Daak and Dr. Ken Winters as they share information about the Minnesota Prevention Alliance Foundation (MPAF)’s work to assist MN School Districts to fulfill the MN State Statute (120B.215) cannabis prevention education requirements for the 2026-2027 school year.

To prevent substance misuse among our youth, we must enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors. Join this workshop to learn how to build protective factors in the youth in a straight-forward, easy to implement way using the Social Development Strategy.

This breakout session will explore how community-based prevention strategies can help address youth substance use in today’s digital world. It will discuss how social media and online influences may contribute to youth engaging in risky behaviors while also highlighting opportunities for prevention education and community engagement. The session will highlight how the MEADA (Mentorship, Education, and Drug Awareness) Coalition of Wright County uses the lens of social media and community movie screening events to engage parents, caregivers, partners, and community members in conversations about substance use prevention.

Mental well-being and substance use are inextricably linked, though not always discussed in the context of prevention work. In November 2023, Allina Health received funding from the Opioid Response Advisory Council (OERAC) at MN DHS to expand its youth mental well-being initiative, Change to Chill (CTC; changetochill.org). Over the course of the OERAC grant, CTC has worked to expand resources and content to include substance use prevention tools for youth and supportive adults, primarily caregivers. This has included culturally responsive materials co-created with and for disproportionately impacted communities, namely Native or Indigenous and Latinae youth and families. This workshop will walk participants through the process of this ongoing work, including key accomplishments and learnings that continue to inform our efforts. Furthermore, participants will be empowered with knowledge and skills that may aid them in adapting this co-creative process in their various youth-serving roles.

Most youth who try commercial tobacco products start with flavored products, including mint and menthol. It’s not by chance. The tobacco industry is relentless in its pursuit of hooking new customers. But communities are fighting back! There are over 35 communities in Minnesota that have adopted local ordinances to restrict the sale of flavored products. Is your community next? This session will offer resources, practical tips, and real-life examples for how to build a community-centered approach to fighting flavors. Presenters, with combined decades of experience fighting the tobacco industry in Minnesota, will share key components for building a successful policy campaign, including: understanding new products on the market and industry marketing tactics; policy best practices for sustainable and comprehensive policies; organizing your community by engaging youth and key partners; addressing opposition; and setting yourself up for successful implementation of a policy. You will leave this session with a better understanding of what’s at stake and practical next steps for what you can do about it.

Commercial tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of preventable disease and death in Minnesota — and the retail environment is one of its most powerful drivers. Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL) is among the most effective primary prevention tools available to communities, yet many prevention professionals and community partners remain unfamiliar with what a strong, comprehensive TRL ordinance looks like and how it can help shape healthier community norms and reduce tobacco-related harms. Using the Public Health Law Center's Minnesota City Tobacco Retail Licensing Model Ordinance as a guide, this session walks participants through the full landscape of TRL policy — from foundational provisions to advanced strategies. We'll begin with the "why": examining how the retail environment shapes tobacco initiation, youth exposure, and industry marketing — and why policy and systems change approaches create more lasting population-level impact than education campaigns alone. From there, participants will explore core TRL components — licensing structure, retailer responsibilities, compliance checks, enforcement, and precise product definitions covering tobacco products, including electronic delivery devices, flavored products, and nicotine analogs. Strong definitions are a critical first line of defense against industry loopholes and rapidly evolving products. The session also examines advanced provisions communities may adopt, including flavored tobacco sales restrictions, retailer density caps, proximity restrictions near youth-oriented facilities, minimum pricing, coupon and discount prohibitions, pharmacy sales restrictions, and delivery sales limitations — each connected to the specific risk and protective factors it addresses. Designed for communities at any stage of policy development, attendees will leave with a practical framework to bring back to their coalitions, municipalities, and partners to advance comprehensive TRL policy and strengthen local prevention efforts.

The Issue: There is a range of potentially harmful substances available at retail in Minnesota, including adult-use cannabis, kratom, and mushrooms. Law and policy can help to reduce access to harmful products, especially among youth, improve product safety and consumer knowledge of the products, and shape the retail environment to minimize normalization of use. To implement effective interventions, local communities, public health leaders, and policymakers need to understand the legal landscape as well as potential law and policy options related to these substances. Description: In partnership with MDH, the Public Health Law Center provides legal TA to communities related to cannabis and substance use prevention (CSUP). In connection with this work, PHLC has researched the legal landscape pertaining to cannabis, kratom, and mushrooms in Minnesota, and have worked with local CSUP grantees to identify prevention-oriented policy and legal options. Lessons learned: Each of these substances are subject to varying levels of regulation, with some legal schemes more comprehensive than others. In Minnesota, cannabis is regulated according to a complex interplay of federal, state, and local laws, kratom is largely unregulated, and regulation of mushroom products depends on the type of mushroom involved. These distinct legal landscapes present different public health and safety challenges, some of which can be addressed through law and policy interventions. Practical applications: We will discuss local law and policy levers available to facilitate cannabis and substance use prevention. Attendees can introduce legal and policy strategies for potential adoption in their communities. With enhanced knowledge of the relevant legal landscape, attendees can understand how existing laws and policies may be better leveraged or improved to protect the public’s health. Note: PHLC presenters may be joined by a MDH CSUP representative or local CSUP program representative.

Most prevention coalitions have powerful stories. They just don't have the time, staff, or communications training to turn those stories into messages that actually reach people. A coalition coordinator wearing different hats doesn't have two hours to rewrite their program update for parents, teens, funders, and community partners. So they send the same message to everyone and wonder why it doesn't connect. This session tackles that problem directly. Drawing on extensive work with prevention coalitions, nonprofits, and federal public health programs, presenter Carlos Morales will show participants how to use AI as a practical thinking partner to reshape one story into targeted messages for different audiences, without losing the authentic voice of the community behind it. Participants will work through a real example from prevention practice, applying a simple framework to adapt a single program story across ages, cultures, and platforms. No technical background required. No expensive software. Just a clear process any coalition can use the next day. Whether your coalition has a communications team or just you, this session gives you a process you can put to work immediately.

Protective factors are widely recognized as essential in preventing substance misuse and supporting youth mental health, resilience, and long-term well-being. We know strong relationships, connection, belonging, and supportive communities play an important role in helping youth thrive. This interactive session invites participants to explore how protective factors show up in everyday prevention work and family engagement practices. Through guided discussion, collaborative learning activities, and real-world examples, attendees will identify practical strategies that strengthen connection, belonging, emotional resilience, trusted relationships, and youth support systems. Participants will have opportunities to share approaches from their own communities while learning from others. The session emphasizes collaboration, community wisdom, and prevention practices rooted in relationships and connection that can be implemented within participants’ own organizations and communities.

Research consistently shows that low-income communities and people of color are disproportionately burdened by both eviction and secondhand smoke exposure. These communities are more likely to rent rather than own, and more likely to live in multi-unit housing. Multi-unit housing continues to be the setting where people are most exposed to secondhand smoke. While smoke-free multi-unit housing protections are an important public health strategy, concerns from community leaders regarding potential increases in evictions have created significant barriers to adopting public policies in communities across Hennepin and Ramsey County.   To examine the degree to which smoke-free housing policies impact eviction filings, Live Smoke Free conducted research examining the relationship between smoke-free housing policies and eviction risk. The purpose of this research is to provide evidence that can be shared with community leaders with a goal of helping communities advance smoke-free housing policies that reduce involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke while minimizing unintended consequences for residents living in multi-unit housing.   This presentation will highlight the research findings, the importance of cross-sector partnerships in advancing public health strategies, and outline key phases of the research project. Attendees will learn practical approaches for communicating research findings, building support, and advancing policies. This session will also provide examples, tools, and strategies that communities can use to promote advanced smoke-free housing policies.   By the end of the presentation, attendees will better understand strategies for navigating challenges and opportunities in the smoke-free housing landscape and feel prepared to apply these lessons within their own communities.

This session explores “third spaces". The informal environments outside of home and school where young people naturally gather. And understanding this is an underutilized prevention strategy. Drawing from real-world experience as a business owner employing youth, this session connects the concepts of ACEs, PCEs, and protective factors to the lived realities of young people today.  Participants will examine how everyday spaces can be intentionally designed to build trust, increase engagement, and strengthen resilience. Rather than relying solely on formal programming, this approach highlights how culture, environment, and relationships work together to create safety and connection.  Attendees will leave with practical, adaptable strategies to activate or transform spaces in their own communities, along with tools for strengthening cross-sector collaboration between schools, community organizations, and local businesses. The focus is on simple, sustainable actions that increase youth connection and reduce risk. By designing spaces where young people feel seen, valued, and supported.