Events
OPPA Youth Prevention Showcase
Youth prevention leaders, OPPA members, and other prevention advocates celebrated the terrific prevention work of Ohio's teens at the OPPA Youth Prevention Showcase on February 12, 2025.
The Showcase featured spotlights on three innovative youth-led prevention interventions taking place in Ohio, through short videos created by the teens leading those initiatives. The three interventions:
- Here's The Deal - A gambling prevention workshop developed and facilitated by teens for teens. (Marion & Crawford Counties Teen Institute)
- Personal Growth Night: Unplugged - An evening of raising awareness about the overuse of social media, coupled with device-free programming, as a means to change norms around connection. (Youth to Youth)
- We Are Change Rally - A statewide event planned by teens, bringing together 1,000 prevention youth and adult allies to raise awareness, network, and celebrate youth-led prevention. (Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network Youth Council)
OPPA also recognized five young Ohioans with OPPA Youth Prevention Awards for their exemplary efforts in prevention. The honorees:
- OPPA Youth Prevention Alumni Award - Maddie McCutcheon
- OPPA Youth Community Champion Award - Trinity Collins
- OPPA Youth Community Champion Award - Alex Gnau
- OPPA Youth Prevention Advocate Award - Addie Powell
- OPPA Youth Prevention Excellence Award - Carmen Marbley
See the OPPA Youth Prevention Awards tab for narratives about the award recipients and their efforts.
"The videos created by the three youth-led prevention groups were a look into three terrific prevention initiatives led by Ohio teens," noted OPPA Treasurer and Resource Development Chair Kristina Latta-Landefeld. "And the focus on the Youth Prevention Awards illuminated the tremendous efforts of some of our amazing young prevention leaders who are making a difference in our local communities, and in some cases, on a statewide level."
The Showcase was emceed by youth-led prevention alumnus Devin Duncan, who was a local and state prevention leader while in high school and was the recipient of the 2023 OPPA Youth Prevention Excellence Award. Devin is a now freshman at University of North Carolina and continues to support youth-led prevention.
The Showcase was supported by four co-sponsors: Envision Partnerships, the Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention and Promotion, Prevention Action Alliance, and Youth to Youth. OPPA values the support of these partners in elevating the work of Ohio's youth-led prevention leaders.
Showcase Sponsors
