This month, we had our own March Madness, prevention style! GUIDE just finished a month full of trainings related to substance abuse prevention and positive youth development, which are two of our specialties. We are always thrilled to have the opportunity to stay connected to professionals in these fields; what better way to do that than through training? We are excited to share our latest training experiences with you.
From March 2-4, GUIDE Staff Jessica and Mary Kate conducted a total of five workshops at the 10th Annual Georgia Summit on Youth Issues in Augusta. In You Shall Know Them By Their Spark, participants had the opportunity to learn about the concept of “spark,” which is drive, passion or a quality people have in which they thrive. By identifying personal sparks, adults become more equipped to lead similar conversations with the youth they serve. Meanwhile, in Strategies for Positive Youth Development, participants went on an exciting “E.G.(G.) Hunt” to identify examples of the 40 Developmental Assets in order to increase the effectiveness of their work with youth. Later that day, participants worked together using Caboodle Cards and celebrated the fact that Youth Empowerment + Prevention: A Win-Win Combination! 
We also created some friendly competition in Full STEAM Ahead: Incorporating Strategies into Existing Prevention Programming. This workshop helped participants understand the need for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) in programming. Groups engaged in hands-on learning by going head-to-head in building a structure that would support a laptop and designing a vehicle that could move significantly just by blowing it. Finally, we wrapped up our workshops by breaking down Community Change Strategies in order to help participants identify how they can incorporate environmental change in and around their communities. In two days, we worked with over 130 adults in the fields of prevention, treatment and recovery in Georgia.
The following week, GUIDE partnered with VOX Teen Communications, Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation and Live Healthy Gwinnett to host an “Afterschool Snack,” a youth development event in Gwinnett. 
During the course of our evening, 22 adults and 16 youth had the opportunity to enjoy healthy snacks and refreshments, “Minute To Win It” games, networking and resource sharing. Additionally, VOX facilitated an engaging workshop about the importance of youth voice. In the workshop, we discovered our commonalities and had a chance to introduce ourselves using a “found object.” Through different activities, participants realized that it can be challenging for youth to feel heard and to find others who can help spread an important message. Additionally, the youth present had an opportunity to give their thoughts and opinions about today’s teen generation. Before leaving, everyone shared their visions for youth-adult partnerships and how to move forward in increasing youth voice and engagement in our communities. We cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together in the months to come!
Finally, during the week of March 16-20, GUIDE Staff Mary Kate and Jessica facilitated the four core prevention courses for the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia (PCCG). Over the course of the week, we had a total of 25 participants who joined us for Fundamentals of Prevention, Ethics in the Prevention Field, Communication Skills for the Prevention Professional and Cultural Competency for the Prevention Professional; out of the 25 participants, nine of them were with us for the entire week! Participants engaged in many interactive activities, looked at a variety of case studies and examples, got to know each other, created rich discussions and enjoyed opportunities to teach others throughout the week. Based on their feedback, here’s what they took away from the courses:
Our prevention course participants now have a better understanding of the prevention field and are able to connect the dots between the standards of the field and their current positions. They feel prepared to incorporate ethical standards and decision making 
personally and professionally and feel empowered to improve their own competence. They are equipped to communicate more effectively, help with staff development, facilitate activities, increase their social marketing presence and incorporate multiple learning styles into their prevention efforts. Lastly, they gained self-awareness of how they define their own culture and feel ready to invest in culturally competent relationships with their coworkers, clients and communities. Thank you to all of our participants for a truly fantastic week of training!
Have you thought about getting credentialed as a Prevention Professional in Georgia? Take a look at these five reasons to do so. Our next week of PCCG core courses will be this July. If you would like to receive email alerts about future trainings, you can sign up here.
If these trainings sound like something you want to offer in YOUR community, GUIDE is always looking to support youth and adults in Georgia with custom training events related to prevention, positive youth development, youth leadership, team development and more. If we can offer training to your staff, youth, parents or others in your community, please let us know! We hope to see you in a training soon!