• To train young people to be leaders, and to initiate youth-led drug prevention programs.
• Provide information on the science of drug addiction and drug use prevention.
• Equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to focus on a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their peers in their communities.
• Identify strategies to empower youth leaders to mobilize their peers to implement these strategies in schools, communities, campuses, and other target locations.
• Facilitate the development of an action plan for drug use prevention initiatives.

Training for youth leaders

One participant per country team is trained as a youth leader to assist the trainers and to co-facilitate the main youth forum. 

The youth leaders help the other participants from their country team develop a project proposal on substance use prevention. 

Pre-forum assignment

Country teams develop a project proposal on substance use prevention to be implemented in their own communities. This proposal is a prerequisite for attending the Forum. 

Youth forum on drug use prevention 

The main forum is a five-day event where all members of the youth country teams will receive and share information on drug use prevention, and develop the skills and strategies they need to implement drug use prevention initiatives.

At the beginning of the forum, participants will be introduced to drug use prevention concepts, and will receive training in project management, and the role of youth as a prevention influencer. Following the training, participants will break into small groups and work on their project proposals (pre-forum assignments) to develop action plans to be implemented in their own communities.

The final output of the forum is the action plan designed by the youth participants. The best action plans are awarded seed fund money to implement the plan in their own communities.

Webinars 

CICAD periodically organizes webinars for discussion and dissemination of information on issues important to young people in member states.