#IChampionHealth Live Like a Champion: Expanding Youth Substance-Use Prevention (Grades 4-8) Through Regional Train-the-Trainer Partnerships

Abstract #IChampionHealth Live Like a Champion: Expanding Youth Substance-Use Prevention (Grades 4-8) Through Regional Train-the-Trainer Partnerships #IChampionHealth Live Like a Champion is an evidence-informed, school- and community-based initiative designed to prevent youth substance use and promote health and well-being among Kentucky students in grades 4-8. The project expands the reach of the Live Like a Champion lesson series through a sustainable train-the-trainer model delivered in partnership with regional networks across the Commonwealth. This model builds local capacity by equipping educators, prevention specialists, and youth leaders with the tools and skills to deliver engaging, developmentally tailored lessons emphasizing substance use prevention through the lens of resilience, decision-making, and positive health behaviors. Grounded in the social-ecological framework and psychological theory, the initiative promotes shared protective factors and addresses shared risk factors for substance use initiation and mental health at individual, family, school, and community levels. Through this expansion, #IChampionHealth aims to: 1. Increase the number of Kentucky youth reached with evidence-based prevention education; 2. Strengthen community prevention infrastructure through professional development and regional collaboration; and 3. Establish a sustainable dissemination and evaluation framework to guide long-term substance use prevention implementation statewide. Together, these efforts advance the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission’s goal to reduce youth first-time substance use, enhance protective environments, and build healthier, more resilient communities.