Engaging Youth Expertise for Prevention: Partnering with youth with lived experience to assess and address youth substance use and enhance local prevention capacity in the City and County of Denver - To prevent and reduce the initiation and progression of substance use and its related problems among Denver youth, Engaging Youth Expertise for Prevention ( EYE for Prevention ) will partner with youth with lived experience related to substance use to: assess youth prevention needs; plan, implement, and evaluate community-based substance use prevention services; and develop and provide trainings to enhance the capacity of local prevention providers. The project will serve Denver youth aged 12-18. The Colorado State Demography Office's (CSDO) indicates that Denver is home to 50,982 individuals aged 12-18. CSDO 2024 estimates indicate that 33% of Denver County residents aged 12-18 identify as White, 11% Black or African American, 4% Asian, <1% American Indian or Alaska Native, <1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 4% Biracial (all non-Hispanic). Forty-six percent of Denver youth aged 12-18 identify as Hispanic/Latino. 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates indicate 76% percent of Denver youth aged 5-17 speak English at home, 4% Spanish, <1% other Indo-European languages, <1% Asian and Pacific Island languages, and <1% speak other languages. Half (50%) of Denver youth aged 12-18 are Male. U.S Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty 2024 estimates indicate that 17% of Denver youth aged 5-17 live below the poverty line. The project will focus on reducing the use of alcohol, vape products, and opioids, including fentanyl. Per the 2025 HKCS, 19% of Denver high school students used alcohol in the past month, with 11% indicating that they had consumed four or more drinks within a couple of hours on one or more of the past 30 days; 11% used a vape product; and 3% used prescription drugs without a prescription. The Denver Health Emergency Department treated 358 youth aged 12-18 for drug overdose or alcohol poisoning in 2023-2025. From 2018-2025, there were 69 overdose or alcohol poisoning deaths among Denver Health patients aged 12-18, and opioids were involved in 81% of these incidents. EYE for Prevention will: 1) prevent and reduce the initiation and progression of youth substance use and its related problems by supporting the development and delivery of youth-led and community-based substance use prevention services that strengthen protective factors, reduce risk factors, build resilience, and promote well-being; 2) expand the capacity of local prevention providers to implement innovative, data-driven, evidence-based strategies to reduce the initiation and progression of youth substance use; and 3) promote a model for engaging youth with lived experience in assessing and addressing youth substance use prevention needs. These goals will be achieved through accomplishment of the following objectives: 1) By September 2031, 100 youth with lived experience related to substance use will be engaged in assessment, capacity-building, planning, implementation, and evaluation activities to advance youth substance use prevention in Denver; 2) By April 2027 and again by April 2029, assessments related to the substance use trends and prevention needs of Denver youth will be produced using principles of community-based participatory research and disseminated to 50 prevention partners; 3) By September 2031, 1,000 Denver youth aged 12-18 will participate in small group prevention interventions developed by youth with lived experience, and 85% of participants will report reductions in intended substance use behaviors; 4) By September 2031, 2,500 Denver youth aged 12-18 will be exposed to the Stronger Without youth-directed prevention messaging campaign, and community-level data will indicate progress toward addressing identified prevention priorities; and 5) By September 2031, 350 youth-serving prevention partners will participate in capacity-building services led by youth with lived experience, and 85% of participants will indicate increased knowledge of youth substance use prevention needs and uptake
