Drug Prevention Power Hour: Empowering Leaders in Youth Drug Prevention

Julie Dreifaldt is the Community Liaison for One Chance to Grow Up and passionately and tirelessly advocates for kids and equips parents to talk about today’s marijuana. Julie regularly educates policymakers, educators and trusted adults about the current problems with THC - the troubling potencies, deceptive products and needed protections for our nation’s children. Julie speaks nationally to par...

Jake White is the co-founder of Vive18, the host of this prevention podcast and one of the most sought after speakers for youth substance use prevention. Listen in as he shares some tips on engaging students when speaking and presenting so they can benefit from your life-saving message. You can tell Jake is passionate about drug prevention as he contrasts what works when talking to students and wh...

This is our very first Youth Takeover Episode (YTE) where our student ambassador David Tejero gets to host his first podcast episode! Listen in and be encouraged as he interviews 3 students from coalitions in small rural communities. They talk about hosting a family night, getting a mini grant to integrate drunk driving education into the drivers ed curriculum and PSAs. They share challenges with...

Jacques is known as The Party Scientist and uses the science of Joy to uplift humanity. This episode is so fun as our host Jake White and Jacques have been running parallel passions for the past 5 years just across the border from each other. They talk about enhancing connection, increasing health and building relationships without mind altering substances. Hear how Jacques went on a world-wide to...

Steven Schecter is the Co-Founder and CEO of Much Smarter, a company that teaches students to use their minds to create the life they want. In this episode we talk about his story of accidentally starting this life-changing program and how it relates to drug prevention. He also shares the three areas of his success model that transforms the way students think, feel and learn. If you enjoy learning...

Kendal McMichael is the Youth and Volunteer Coordinator for One Johns Creek and Pathways2Life outside of Atlanta Georgia. Ravnoor Gujral is her lead intern and youth representative for their coalition. In this podcast episode, we talk about how Ravnoor helped launch their social media channels to educate and advocate for prevention, and how she led a project to distribute Deterra bags for safe dis...

Janet Hadley is the founder of Choose Sunrise, a company founded on the belief that nobody should feel afraid to ask for help with alcohol use. She specializes in working with businesses to make them an “alcohol safe workplace.” She even has an accreditation program that corporations use to make sure the environment is a healthy and productive one… not only for sober people, but for those who drin...

Growing up, it seems like “the grass is greener” anywhere else besides your hometown. Sarah thought the same thing, but was brought back to take a chance on a job in substance use prevention. Fast forward 10 years later… She's in love with the prevention field, has a thriving coalition, and is making an impact on youth and families in the state of Washington. We talk about youth engagement, w...

Summer and Quinn are a dynamic team of students near Dallas Texas who are doing peer-to-peer education around Fentanyl. They both have lost close family or friends to accidental overdose and are deeply passionate about educating others so it doesn’t happen to them. During the interview Jake asks about the projects they’re implementing to make a difference, and even asks for some challenges they’re...

Chris Dzurick is on the leading edge of creating dynamic, engaging and successful youth conferences. Having worked with SADD, the Department of Education in Iowa and Missouri, and numerous CTSO’s including FBLA, HOSA, DECA, FCCLA, HOSA, and SkillsUSA -  his experience is unparalleled (and bonus… he loves working with prevention professionals)! You won’t want to miss this episode where we talk all...

Emer O’Donnell lives in England and is the Founder of a coaching business called TeenReconnect. Originally from Ireland, Emer studied Psychology at University College Dublin, and after twenty years of experience working internationally for global organizations, she completed her MSc as a Behavioural Change Coach at Henley Business School, in the UK. She is also a co-creator of the Q Pathfinder a d...

Ann Herbst is the Executive Director of Young People in Recovery, a national nonprofit that supports youth and young adults in recovery from substance use disorder. Come hear about their events, advocacy, training and education. She shares how to build partnerships smarter for your own organization and why YPR has grown to be in 19+ states over the last 10 to years. Ann and Jake talk shop on start...

Katie McFarland has a masters degree in Youth Development and helps with her local coalition and prevention club in Salmon, Idaho. In this episode of Party Talk, she shares lots of alternative activities, leadership ideas and fundraising events they do with the Salmon Drug Free Youth (DFY) club. We also talk about the unique challenge of doing prevention in a small rural town and how to meet stude...

Tomas Barraza is the co-founder of Vive18 and the owner of Mas Creative - a video strategy company that makes video, social media and digital assets easy and successful. As someone who’s been in the prevention field for more than a decade, Tomas is helping prevention organizations bring their message from the physical stage to the digital stage. Learn the five common mistakes that most people make...

Jake White is the co-founder of Vive18 and has helped launch drug prevention clubs across the nation. He shares five common mistakes we make when starting a new youth coalition and how we can avoid these mistakes. You’ll find out what over-hard eggs and bowling alleys have to do with succeeding in your role as a youth leader. Listen till the end and you’ll also hear about an exciting new opportuni...

David is a youth leader for prevention in the state of Washington who loves sports, friends and is passionate about helping youth make better decisions. As a senior in high school he has also taken on the Vive18 Ambassador Intern program. Jordan is a sophomore in Branson Missouri and a student leader in the ADAPT drug prevention group. This time they’re taking US to school by sharing how to get st...

Abby Clapper is the owner of Endorfin Wellness in Tampa Bay, Florida. In this episode we talk about how alcohol influences our fitness goals, sleep, and diet. We discuss vaping as well and how fitness can be a catalyst to build better habits for the whole body. You’ll hear lots of inside stories and thoughts from Jake and Abby… and with News Years around the corner, Jake selfishly asks for help wi...

Ever wonder “How can I get money for drug prevention at my school or community?” Maybe you want to bring in a speaker, get trained on a curriculum, host an assembly, or another substance use prevention event. What if I told you there were funds waiting for you to use right now!  The US Dept of Education has two funding opportunities that are available for public schools, coalitions, community orga...

When your teenager is struggling with their mental health, it’s hard to know where to go. Who can I ask for help? What’s the next move? This is the problem that Jeff Zawadsky faced first hand, and when he started meeting more parents of struggling teens, Shine Together was born. Learn about a tool that can help you find resources and services in your area, see reviews, and even connect with other...

Jessica Fowler has worked in our space for 13 years, first in treatment and now in community prevention. She has a masters degree in professional counseling and does prevention for substance use and suicide for 2 counties in North Carolina. In this episode we talk all about her work and some new topics like photo voice projects and mental health first aid. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode of P...

Jeff Johnston has created an app to help assess youth mental health and give practical tools for wellness. As a husband and father, he lost his wife and son to substances and became an advocate for saving young lives through positive mental wellness. Check out this episode of Party Talk to hear more about his app and see if it’s something you can use with students in your community! For feedback,...

Jake and Marco continue the conversation by diving into storytelling to get grants and funding, building positive culture at their youth programs, and training student leaders. He also talks about how their summer conference brings new students into the program every year and builds excitement for students and their parents. Enjoy! For feedback, questions and new episode ideas... jake@vive18.com i...

Most of us didn’t plan to be in the prevention field… but Marco’s story is a little different. His passion started extremely early and after 3 decades in the field, he’s the Program Director of a robust organization that has hundreds of students involved in their youth coalition. If that wasn’t enough, he’s serving on the Idaho State Legislature to advocate for education, public and behavioral hea...

Dr. Crystal Collier is a psychotherapist who works with youth and families at their most vulnerable moments. She specializes in preventing high-risk behavior in students and has even authored “The NeuroWhereabouts Guide,” a book that gives actionable talking points to share brain-based, social-emotional, prevention skills with youth. In this interview you’ll see how she correlates high risk behavi...

Kristina and Robert serve as a resource to coalitions in Ohio through their organization, One Eighty. In this episode of Party Talk we talk about facilitating a youth survey in the schools, getting community organizations and parents involved, building awareness, and of course engaging young people in our field. Enjoy this episode of Party Talk where we empower leaders in youth drug prevention! Fo...