SPARK was designed to support Chicago youth in developing healthy relationships with substances. To help increase health equity around substance use prevention, the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago’s (PHIMC) Chicago Regional Substance Use Prevention Integration Center (RSUPICs) program is looking to collaborate with organizations in the city of Chicago to help support our youth. There is so much great work happening in the city on behalf of youth, and this project seeks to provide additional support, guidance, education, and resources to Chicago-area educators and youth service providers.

According to the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 29.5% of Chicago high school students have tried marijuana, a rate higher than both the state and national averages by approximately 2%. This figure is nearly four times higher than the 6.8% of Chicago middle school students who have tried marijuana. Additionally, the survey reveals that 20.6% of Chicago middle school students have consumed more than just a few sips of alcohol, with 9.9% of them trying alcohol before the age of 11.

PHIMC developed the Substance Prevention and Awareness Resource Kit (SPARK) portal. The portal is designed to enhance the efforts of institutions and organizations in Chicago supporting youth. IDHS’s RSUPICs program funds and supports this work, which aims to bolster the capacity of these entities to implement substance use prevention strategies effectively. By integrating with existing initiatives and focusing on local collaboration, training, and support, RSUPIC strives to improve the overall health and well-being of young people throughout the state.

The public resource hub includes free resources accessible to anyone interested in starting this work. The facilitator portal provides lesson plans and resources developed by PHIMC and its partners. To ensure the fidelity of the materials, PHIMC staff will train organizations on implementation.

Contact James Lones at james.lones@phimc.org to learn more about these materials and inquire about training. Once approved, you’ll receive an email with login credentials and gain access to the facilitator portal. Learn more about PHIMC’s youth substance use prevention work by clicking the “learn more” button below.