NextGen Prevention: Fontana Substance Use Prevention & Capacity-Building Program - The NextGen Prevention initiative will empower the Fontana community to prevent and reduce youth and adult substance use through a comprehensive, data-driven, and community-led strategic prevention plan. By addressing key risk factors, strengthening protective factors, and fostering youth and community leadership, the project will build long-term prevention capacity and ensure sustainable impact. Over five years, NextGen Prevention will engage at least 10,000 individuals through education, outreach, coalition-building, and evidence-based prevention strategies, with a focus on reducing vaping, opioid misuse, and cannabis use. Service Population: NextGen Prevention will serve youth (ages 12-18), transitional-age youth (ages 19-26), and adults in Fontana, California, with a focus on under-resourced communities. The city’s 68% Hispanic/Latino population, linguistic diversity (58.1% speak a language other than English at home), and socioeconomic disparities (10% live below the poverty line) necessitate culturally and linguistically responsive prevention efforts. The project will prioritize low-income individuals, youth at risk of substance use, and populations disproportionately impacted by vaping, opioid misuse, and cannabis use. Strategies & Interventions: • Comprehensive needs assessment to identify community-specific risk and protective factors. • Development of a Strategic Prevention Plan incorporating at least three evidence-based or community-defined interventions. • Youth leadership & coalition-building, including a Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) and engagement with the Fontana Community Coalition (FCC). • Culturally tailored prevention messaging, including annual public outreach campaigns, school-based education, and peer-led interventions. • Capacity-building through cross-sector partnerships, technical assistance, and training for prevention professionals. • Sustainability planning to secure ongoing funding and institutionalize prevention efforts beyond the grant period. Project Goals & Measurable Objectives: • Goal 1: Conduct a strategic planning process that amplifies youth and community voices in identifying risk and protective factors. o Conduct a community needs assessment by March 2026. o Develop a Strategic Prevention Plan by September 2026. • Goal 2: Strengthen local prevention capacity to support sustainable substance use prevention efforts. o Establish a Youth Advisory Committee by December 2025. o Engage 10+ cross-sector partners in the Fontana Community Coalition by March 2026. • Goal 3: Implement a multi-year strategic prevention initiative to reduce vaping, opioid, and cannabis use. o Deliver prevention services to at least 2,000 individuals annually (10,000+ over five years). o Conduct 10+ annual outreach events, quarterly social media campaigns, and annual community prevention conferences. Through NextGen Prevention, Fontana will establish a sustainable, community-driven prevention model that reduces substance use, builds local capacity, and empowers youth and families to lead prevention efforts well into the future.
