Communities Talk to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse

Communities can move mountains when they talk, share, and take action to prevent alcohol and other drug misuse. Each year, community-based organizations of all kinds—including local chapters of national organizations, community and youth-led coalitions, colleges, and universities nationwide—hold creative events and activities that mobilize their communities to both learn about substance use and put prevention strategies in place.

Since 2006, thousands of these activities have been held across the country, supported by SAMHSA planning stipends that can go a long way in making the activities more strategic, collaborative, well-attended, and action oriented. Youth-led events are among the most impactful of these activities and are encouraged.

In addition to the planning stipends, SAMHSA provides tools and resources to help organizers design, promote, conduct, and evaluate their activities.

All 2026 planning stipends have been distributed and are no longer available. We still encourage you to plan and host Communities Talk prevention activities in your community — throughout the year (and during Prevention Month and National Prevention Week).

Sign up for a Communities Talk monthly newsletter.

Get involved in all of SAMHSA’s prevention campaigns.

Please note: Recipient acknowledges that SAMHSA funding recipients must not spend SAMHSA funds on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) activities. Recipient certifies that funds will not be spent on DEI activities.

[ ## Toolkit Includes everything you need to know to begin organizing a prevention activity in your community.

](https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/communities-talk/getting-started)

[ ## Prevention Outreach Activities Targeted outreach activities help bridge knowledge gaps and provide strategies that can advance prevention for specific priorities and audiences.

](https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/communities-talk/prevention-outreach-activities)

[ ## Podcast Listen to organizations share their stories on how they advance prevention in their communities.

](https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/communities-talk/podcast)

[ ## Tips and Resources Many tools, insights, and resources are available to help activity hosts identify and meet their prevention goals through Communities Talk.

](https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/communities-talk/tips-resources)

[ ## Prevention Stories Prevention Stories demonstrate the many creative ways that event hosts engage their communities in prevention and highlight key outcomes that help create lasting impacts on communities.

](https://www.samhsa.gov/substance-use/prevention/communities-talk/prevention-stories)

Videos

• Saying Yes to Health: Young adults and teens are saying yes to health ― and not using substances.
• Your Prevention Stories: Hear from preventionists about successes, the role of youth, and telling the prevention story.
• Alternative Funding in Health Care: Integrating substance use prevention in health care.

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