Rooted in Relationships – Creating the Conditions for Prevention to Thrive

by Site Developer
on August 13, 2026

Presenters

Co-Presenters hide

Presenter(s):  Ashleigh Klein-Jimenez, Jessie Towne-Cardenas

Organization(s): ValorUS®, Arboreta Group

Objectives:

  • Describe how relationships, community connection, shared vision, trust and accountability function as prevention infrastructure. 

  • Examine the conditions that allow prevention efforts to take root and grow beyond individual programs or isolated strategies.  

  • Explore strategies for creating multiple pathways and entry points into prevention across communities.

Description: Some challenges in prevention work never seem to fully disappear - staff turnover, burnout, gatekeeping, communities feeling disconnected and the constant pressure to prove impact while building something long-term and transformational.

We are living through a moment that continues to reveal the limits of isolated systems and individual solutions. In response, communities are creating networks of care, protection, accountability, and collective action that offer important lessons for prevention work.

This session explores community building as part of the infrastructure that makes prevention possible. Through discussion and practical application, we will examine prevention not as a collection of programs, but an ecosystem shaped by relationships, shared vision, trust, and accountability.