- This event has passed.
Beyond Perceptions of Tokenization: Strategies to Sustain Engagement in Substance Use Prevention Coalitions
August 28, 2025 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Enhancing Prevention Efforts:
Prevention Application Community of Practice
Overview:
Prevention Application Community of Practice spaces will support the continuing education of prevention professionals in a manner that is engaging, focused on skill building, dynamic, and in line with statewide goals. Together we will “unpack” what has been learned in professional competency training events, thus supporting the application of skills and development of sector partnerships and networking. Prevention Application spaces are intended to be a collective learning space with reflection opportunities for participants.
August Topic
Tokenism undermines trust and long-term engagement in prevention coalitions, particularly amongst communities disproportionately impacted by substance use. This session invites participants to move beyond performative inclusion and into meaningful, sustained engagement. Through a community-centered and driven lens, we’ll explore community-based process strategies aligned with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention framework to center cultural wealth, strengthen relational trust, and develop shared leadership models. Drawing from social drivers of health and real coalition examples, participants will reflect on their own engagement practices, discuss internal shifts necessary to sustain authentic participation, and leave with tools to create coalitions that are inclusive, power-sharing, and community-driven.
About the Presenters
Carroll J. Brown III (he/him) is a passionate, results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in youth development, Dr. Carroll Brown III has dedicated his career to empowering at-risk and system-impacted communities across Los Angeles. His work focuses on foster youth, addiction recovery, and culturally responsive mentorship for BIPOC youth.
Board-certified and deeply committed to service, Dr. Brown is a professor at Tarzana Treatment Center College and California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he prepares future mental health professionals and leads students in conversations around leadership, equity, and social change.
An experienced facilitator and trainer, he partners with organizations to build trauma-informed teams and develop trainings focused on addiction, mental health, and the needs of system-involved youth. His approach blends analytical problem-solving, strategic management, and deep community engagement to create impactful, sustainable programs.
Dr. Brown is the visionary behind several mentorship initiatives, including The Fostering Resiliency Project, which provides healing-centered support to Black foster youth. His leadership has helped young people navigate critical life transitions, develop resilience, and thrive in adulthood.
Rooted in his personal motto, “If it is to be, it’s up to me,” Dr. Brown leads with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to transformation. He specializes in building high-performing teams, nurturing community partnerships, and creating safe spaces where youth and families are affirmed, supported, and empowered to succeed.
Zion Givens (he/him/el) is a youth mental wellness speaker, consultant, and co-founder of Up To It, an organization dedicated to fostering connection, communication, and emotional resilience among youth, families, and communities. With a background in training both young people and the adults who support them, Zion specializes in delivering engaging, culturally responsive presentations on mental health, suicide prevention, and family dynamics.
His work is rooted in lived experience, creative engagement, and relationship-centered practices. Through workshops, technical assistance, and public speaking, Zion supports communities in making mental wellness real, relatable, and actionable.
Outlook Live 
