The annual We Are The Majority Rally starts with a concert at Genoa Park and ends with a rally on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse where we hear from legislators and other allies in prevention. This year, we’d like to invite one talented young person to speak to our 2,100 participants through a speech that supports this year’s WATM Rally theme.

Speeches should follow the official guidelines, address at least one prompt fully, and last between three and five minutes. To be considered for this opportunity, participants must meet the following criteria:

Speech submissions consist of two components:

Any questions? Email [email protected] by April 1, 2020 and be sure to check out our submission guidelines. 

Registering for the We Are The Majority Rally is quick and easy! First, figure out how many young people and how many adults you’ll be bringing to the We Are The Majority Rally, what shirt sizes they’ll need, and how you’ll be traveling (bus, van, or car). Then, add those two numbers together and click on the green “Register” at preventionactionalliance.org/watm. Select the sum of your two numbers from your ticket option and click the orange “Register” button. 

Then, you’ll need to fill out the form on the next page, paying special attention to the shirt sizes you’ll need and how many of each size you’ll need (make sure these numbers conform to the numbers you gathered earlier—see the image below). Make sure you include the contact information of the person who will be responsible for your group on May 5.

Thank you to the 70 caring Ohioans who joined us in advocating for prevention on Advocacy Day!

More than 25 appointments took place over the course of the day and more than 50 phone calls and emails were made to schedule those appointments. We could not have done this without the hard work and diligence of PAA staff, and great participation from those working in Ohio’s prevention field.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. With one in three teens experiencing physical abuse, sexual abuse, or both, it's important to emphasize efforts and conversations with our children on the importance of healthy relationships. 

This month, we created two Know! Parent Tips that touch on this difficult, yet important, topic. One helps you and the young person in your life to understand the differences between healthy, unhealthy, and abusive dating relationships. The other gives teens the practical tips they need to set healthy dating boundaries, like not using sex as currency, keeping passwords private, and ensuring that you can spend time alone or with other friends without feeling guilty. 

Please read up on these Know! Parent Tips and share them with parents, teachers, educators, and others who interact with teens. 

The Ohio Department of Health Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program is sponsoring an Anti-Vaping Video Contest offering $20,000 in scholarship prizes. 

The contest is a response to the unprecedented rise in e-cigarette/vaping use among youth and young adults. ODH hopes this opportunity will provide a creative outlet for students to learn more about the dangers of vaping, while also providing ODH with youth-centered videos that could be used for further mass media campaigns to discourage use among youth.

The contest is open to all Ohio high school students or students taking high school level homeschool classes. Students are asked to produce a 25- to 45-second video that addresses the dangers of vaping. For details on the contest rules, please visit www.odh.ohio.gov/videocontest.

What: The G.A.P. Network Regional Summit was created to honor the lives lost to this epidemic of overdoses, help you become more resilient, and work through your grief. We will help you find your voice to help you speak on behalf of your loved ones and advocate for prevention.

The summit will:

The G.A.P. Network (Grief to Advocacy for Prevention) connects grieving families to resources and builds communication channels across Ohio to support advocacy, education, and prevention. These summits also build resilience among attendees.

When and Where: Saturday, March 14th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Zanesville,

or Saturday, April 11th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Akron.

How much: These Summits are free to attend.

Continuing Education: 2.5 hours, Prevention Education and Service Delivery

What: As a prevention professional, you regularly face situations that involve ethics. In some of these situations, you may not be aware of your ethical responsibility or know how to respond ethically. This training is designed to help you make ethical choices in your work every day.

This training will cover the six principles in the Prevention Code of Ethics, illustrated by realistic examples designed to enhance your understanding of each principle. This six-hour ethics training meets the requirements for anyone seeking their OCPS or OCPC and exceeds the renewal OCPS and OCPC requirements as well as the requirements for anyone seeking their OCPSA. 

Lunch will be provided.

When and Where: Wednesday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Matthew B. Schoonover Educational Center at Prevention Action Alliance in Columbus.

How much: $100

Continuing Education: 6 hours, Ethics.

Did you know that by shopping at Kroger you could support Prevention Action Alliance at no additional cost to you? 

Kroger Community Rewards donates to local organizations based on the shopping you do. When you check out with your Kroger Plus Card, contributions to Prevention Action Alliance will be made automatically and at no cost to you.

To start, you’ll need to apply for a Kroger Plus Card in your local Kroger store. If you already have a Kroger Plus Card, you can log into or create a digital account and name Prevention Action Alliance as your participating nonprofit. 

Even if you’ve signed up in the past, you may need to re-designate Prevention Action Alliance as your nonprofit. Registrations are good for one year before you must reapply. 

If you shop on Amazon, please consider making Prevention Action Alliance the nonprofit you support through AmazonSmile. 

AmazonSmile is operated by Amazon and lets customers enjoy the same selection of products, prices, and features as on Amazon. When customers shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to nonprofits. 

Selecting Prevention Action Alliance as the nonprofit you want to support is as easy as clicking here. You can also go to AmazonSmile.com, log in or create an account, and go to Your Account. From there, select Change Your Amazon Smile Charity. Type “Prevention Action Alliance” into the search bar, and then click “Select” on the next page. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?