samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

Most participants leave a prevention-focused event filled with enthusiasm and a 

desire to make a difference. Tap this enthusiasm to keep the momentum going in your 

community long after your event concludes. Here are some ideas. 

Extending Your Impact 

• Hold a wrap-up meeting with your planning committee 

to determine what approaches seemed to work best in 

attracting attendees and maintaining their interest. 

• Engage your co-planners and/or coalition members in 

identifying activities to keep participants on board with 

prevention efforts year-round. 

• Ask everyone to “like” your event or your organization’s 

page on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or other social 

media platforms you’ve leveraged to increase awareness. 

Continue to use these platforms to inform participants 

of opportunities to get involved or to showcase their 

involvement in prevention efforts. 

• Create a database of all the contacts you made as a result of your event and use it in the following ways: 

– Send follow-up emails or notes to participants to let them know you appreciated their attendance, and 

encourage them to join or continue to support prevention efforts. 

– Send thank-you notes and follow-up correspondence to all presenters and volunteers, and ask if they’d be 

willing to do more. Include a specific activity if one is being planned. 

• Develop a short survey about your event to determine how well it was received by participants and what followup activities—such as meetings, trainings, or formation of small workgroups—would interest them. Email your 

survey to participants, or post it on your organization’s website or Facebook page. Free tools such as Instagram 

polls or SurveyMonkey enable people to voice their opinions and respond to questions. Share the insights 

you gain with partners, policymakers, and local media outlets. Numbers and metrics also provide proof of 

your event’s effectiveness and may help convince partners and sponsors to provide funding for future events 

or activities. 

• Submit details about your event to SAMHSA for a chance to be featured in future National Prevention Week 

promotional materials or in the National Prevention Week Outcomes Report. 

KEEPING THE 

MOMENTUM AFTER YOUR 

PREVENTION EVENT 

TELL SAMHSA ABOUT YOUR NATIONAL 

PREVENTION WEEK EVENT! 

Submit details about your event for 

a chance to be featured in future 

National Prevention Week activities 

or promotional materials. 
samhsa.gov/prevention-week 

Researching and Developing Media Lists 

Here are a few suggestions to help your audience think about prevention year-round: 

• Visit the National Prevention Week website for new resources, news, and announcements to share with your 

prevention network. 

• Involve your community in selecting and implementing evidence-based programs to prevent substance misuse 

based on community goals and strategies developed during your prevention event. 

• Showcase evaluation metrics to help secure program funding. Sharing evaluation metrics collected from 

your event helps emphasize how prevention programs can help to counteract negative behaviors and support 

positive behaviors. Collecting metrics can also show communities how prevention programs are a cost-effective 

way to invest in healthy living and well-being. 

• Communicate with your media contacts throughout the year with news on prevention and resources in 

your community. 

• Share your #MyPreventionStory across social media to join the online conversation and futher engage with the 

prevention community. 

• Share videos from your event or prevention videos from SAMHSA’s YouTube channel with the media or with 

your own network. 

• Encourage schools, businesses, healthcare providers, and local community groups to use their websites or 

newsletters to regularly remind community members about the actions they can take to prevent substance 

use and misuse. Organizations are more likely to take this action if you supply them with a topical issue. For 

example, why parents should support alcohol-free after-prom events and graduation parties, or why and how 

patients should discard any remaining medication after the prescribed time. 

• Encourage community organizations to distribute free and relevant prevention materials and publications, 

available in the SAMHSA Store. 

• Create a speaker’s bureau of people who can seek out and respond to opportunities to discuss prevention at 

community events throughout the year.