Leveraging Systems Change for Substance Misuse Prevention – R10 March 2025

Facilitator:

Meghan Belvins, MA, has over 15 years experience in healthy youth development, and community enhancement, including juvenile justice, prevention science, coalition building and maintenance, needs assessments, and data-driven decision-making for improved community outcomes. She started her journey of community enhancement as a Juvenile Justice programming supervisor at the Olivet Boys & Girls Club and with Berks County Juvenile Probation in Reading, PA, as a programmatic (and fun!) alternative for adjudicated youth who may otherwise be heading to placement. Seeing the changes in youth during the duration of programs, but wondering if there was data to validate the youth improvements led her to work as a Systems Change Specialist at Penn State University’s Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center’s EPISCenter. In this role, she helps guide communities through the Communities That Care (CTC) process as a certified CTC coach, and support local and state prevention collaboration.

Currently, Meghan is a Research Associate with the Dawn Chorus Group, focusing on people and communities collectively working toward social, environmental, and well-being goals. These goals and projects include Energize Delaware’s Empowerment Grant promoting energy equity, healthy homes, and the Social Determinants of Health, and WE in the World and CDC’s well-being and vaccine hesitancy and health equity within underserved communities.

She has had the honor of presenting a numerous Pennsylvania- based conferences, as well as the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development conference, CADCA’s 28th National Leadership Forum, developed and presented “Organizational Elements for Effective Coalitions” Enhanced Prevention Learning Series through the Prevention Enhancement Technology Center (PTTC) funded through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. Meghan serves/served on the board for the PA Youth Survey, PA Coalition on Domestic Violence, Reading Beautification, Inc., and The Coalition for the Promotion of Behavioral Health, as well as a guest lecturer and field instructor for multiple colleges and universities.

Looking to further improve community health, Meghan earned her Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology and Social Change from Penn State University and likes to dance, all activities on the water, and time at the beach.

Objectives:

By the end of the EPLS, participants will be able to:

• Describe the importance of systems change to success in the field of prevention
• Name four capacities necessary to create enabling contexts
• Identify personal strengths and areas to enhance leadership capacity
• Name at least two strategies to communicate the value of prevention to enhance system change efforts focused on prevention
• List three resources they can access to complete the fund mapping process in their community
• Describe why data systems are essential in prevention

Audience:

• Community-level prevention practitioners and allied partners working to prevent substance misuse in the Northwest (HHS Region 10) states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
• Please note: This training is reserved for prevention professionals working in HHS Region 10.
• Prevention professionals interested in this course but who work outside of HHS Region 10 are encouraged to contact their region’s PTTC to learn about similar courses available to them.

Participant Commitment and Expectations:

• If your experience with Zoom is limited or you want to review key features of Zoom, please view the 20-minute Introduction to Zoom video prior to the first session on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 on how to use and maximize the platform.
• Participate in 6 sessions of training, for 1.5 hours on scheduled series days/times.
• Complete up to ONE hour of independent learning activities between each session.
• Use a web-camera and have access to appropriate technology to join the online videoconferencing platform (i.e., internet connection, built-in or USB webcam, desktop/laptop computer, built-in/USB/Bluetooth speakers & microphone).
• Actively engage and be on camera 90% of the time during each session, since this is not a webinar series and active participation is essential to gain/improve skills.

Please Note:

This EPLS is not a webinar series. Active participation in each session is essential to gain and improve skills. If you cannot attend these sessions, you will forfeit your attendance.

The Northwest PTTC is committed to the safety of all participants. Driving while participating in these sessions is strongly discouraged, as it is seen as a danger to the participant. If driving cannot be avoided during your scheduled session for any reason, please contact the PTTC staff at nwpttc-info@casat.org.

In addition, it is expected that participants will have access to the appropriate technology by Wednesday, March 5, 2025 in order to fully participate and be on camera at least 90% of the time.

If you have questions regarding technology requirements or registration details contact hsimak@casat.org.

Certificates:

Participants who complete the entire course will receive a certificate of attendance for 15 hours. Partial credit will be considered if a participant completes over 80% of the course and submits completed prep packets to the course facilitator for review for any missed session. Participants will need to confirm with their certification board to determine if these certification hours are accepted towards their specific certification requirements.

To help make engagement more comfortable, we limit the number of people who can enroll in EPLS. If you cannot commit to joining the sessions or completing the prep-work packets, please defer this opportunity to others on our waiting list.

The Northwest PTTC is a collaboration led by Washington State University in partnership with Social Development Research Group at the University of Washington, and CASAT at the University of Nevada, Reno.