Futuro Latino Drug-Free Communities honored by CADCA

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By Boris Ozuna
IIHHS

CADCA

On Feb. 6, the Futuro Latino Coalition was one of 160 community coalitions honored during a graduation ceremony at CADCA’s (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) National Leadership Forum, just outside of Washington, D.C. The coalitions received a graduation certificate for completing CADCA’s National Coalition Academy, a rigorous training program designed to increase the effectiveness of community drug prevention leaders.

“We are so proud of our coalition for investing the time and resources to take advantage of the best community coalition training in the world. To graduate from this year-long intensive course is no small feat and Futuro Latino is more prepared today to be an effective, sustainable coalition because of this training,” said Boris Ozuna, Futuro Latino Coordinator. “We look forward to applying our knowledge and strategies to ensure the youth in our community have a safe environment to play, work, and learn,.”

The coalition recently worked on organizing the Harrisonburg Hispanic Festival, conducting educational campaigns in public schools and soccer leagues, engaging JMU students in community service projects, and bringing together 12 different sectors in the community to implement prevention strategies.

CADCA’s National Coalition Academy (NCA) is a comprehensive, year-long training program developed by CADCA’s National Coalition Institute. The NCA incorporates three, week-long classroom sessions, a web-based distance learning component, an online workstation where participants network and share planning products and free ongoing coalition development technical assistance. To graduate, coalitions must complete a rigorous curriculum. They must participate in all components of the NCA and complete five essential planning products that serve as the foundation of their comprehensive plan for community change. 

CADCA’s National Leadership Forum is a four-day event packed with opportunities to learn the latest strategies to address substance abuse and hear from nationally-known prevention experts, federal administrators, and concerned policymakers. The Forum brings together approximately 3,000 attendees representing coalitions from all regions of the country and internationally, government leaders, youth, prevention specialists, addiction treatment professionals, addiction recovery advocates, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals, and faith-based leaders. It is the largest training event for the prevention field.

Futuro Latino Coalition is housed at the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS) at James Madison University (JMU). The coalition’s main goals are; 1)preventing and reducing alcohol and drug use among youth in Harrisonburg and Rockingham, and 2) increasing community collaboration by stablishing strong partnerships.

About CADCA
The mission of CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) is to strengthen the capacity of community coalitions to create and maintain safe, healthy and drug-free communities globally.  This is accomplished by providing coalition development assistance and training, public policy advocacy, special events, media strategies and marketing programs.

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Published: Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Last Updated: Thursday, January 23, 2020

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