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Professional Competency Prevention Pathways: Centering the Emerging Professional Workforce
August 26, 2025 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
The Centering the Emerging Professional Workforce series is developed for emerging prevention professionals, by emerging prevention professionals. Sessions will be co-led by professionals early in their prevention field and will focus on engaging transitional age youth, establishing the peer workforce, and career advancement.
August Topic
As the field of prevention grows, we continuously unpack how essential lived experience is as a driving force in our transformative work. To experience sustainable change within primary prevention, the peer workforce needs to be integrated into our efforts. This session will guide participants through the process of recruiting, training, supporting, and sustaining peer workers, who bring invaluable lived experiences and unique perspectives to prevention programs. Together, we will discuss ways to ensure our peer workforce is supportive, inclusive, and provides opportunity for those with lived experience to continuously be honored and grow within prevention. The session will highlight best practices and success stories that demonstrate the positive impact of peer involvement on program effectiveness and community trust. By building a robust peer workforce, prevention specialists can enhance their initiatives’ reach and relevance, ultimately creating more resilient and empowered communities.
About the Presenters
Brittney Sampson (she/her) is a Substance Use Disorder Certified Counselor. She works with At-risk youth, foster youth, and youth on probation and in the Butte County Juvenile Hall. Brittney is the program coordinator for the statewide Youth Peer Mentor Program. She is certified Mindfulness-Based Substance Abuse Treatment (MBSAT) facilitator and currently facilitates YPMP groups with the MBSAT curriculum for youth in Shasta, Glenn, and Butte Counties and is also a Peer Mentor at YPMP Natural High Retreats. Brittney also works for the Butte County Public Defender Ronald A. Reed, a Juvenile Defense Lawyer, and is currently the Legal Secretary for Butte County’s Public Defender’s consortium Project Upstream.
Taahir Butler (he/him) is a California State Certified Peer Support Specialist and a Registered Substance Use Disorder Counselor dedicated to empowering individuals on their path to recovery. As a Youth Peer Mentor with Continuity Consulting Inc., Taahir works directly with high-risk youth, offering guidance, support, and lived experience to help them navigate complex challenges.
In addition to his frontline mentorship, Taahir is a trained Mindfulness- Based Substance Abuse Treatment (MBSAT) facilitator, integrating mindfulness practices into recovery work to foster resilience, emotional regulation, and long-term wellness. His approach blends compassion, structure, and real- world insight — making him a vital force in the healing and growth of the communities he serves.
Elliott Orrin Hinkle (they/them) is a skilled facilitator, trainer, and advisor focused on elevating lived expertise in systems that serve children, youth, and families. They are a graduate of Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Queer studies. Elliott has lived experience in the Wyoming Foster Care System as a young person but calls Oregon home. As an advocate and professional they bring 10+ years’ experience on topics such as Child Welfare, Youth Mental Health, and the LGBTQ community through training, advising, and facilitating culture change efforts aimed at increasing positive experiences for youth impacted by systems. They have assisted and participated in child welfare and youth mental health research, they actively work to reduce barriers to access to care for LGBTQ youth and families and are trained in evidence-based peer coaching. Additionally, their skills include consultation and reviewing state’s Independent Living programs and National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) survey work as well as providing support in program and policy development. Elliott is the Principal and Founder of the consulting firm Unicorn Solutions LLC which seeks to create positive futures for youth and young adults impacted by systems such as Child Welfare and Youth Mental Health, particularly at the intersections of LGBTQ youth within these systems.
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