August 27 Collaboration Forum: The Latest Research & The Next Generation of Peer Educators
Wednesday August 27, 2026 9–10:00am PST / noon–1:00pm EST
What the Latest Research Tells Us: What do teens actually believe about today's drugs? Who do they trust? And what's changed since 2022? Song for Charlie and Breakwater Research are releasing the third wave of a national study that tracks how young people and their parents make sense of today's drug landscape—their knowledge, perceptions, trusted sources and decision-making, along with the pressures they're under and how they cope. Some of what we've found confirms what you see on the ground. Some of it may surprise you. You'll get the new numbers, see how attitudes have moved over three waves of research, and walk away with insights you can put to work in your prevention messaging, mental health support and family engagement. Especially useful for prevention professionals, healthcare providers, educators, policymakers and advocates.
Certifying the Next Generation of Peer Educators: Young people listen to other young people. That's the idea behind our new self-directed Peer Educator Certification course—and the peer-led work we've done for years, giving students accurate information and trusted tools through train-the-trainer sessions and one-on-one mentoring. Students who complete our program lead classroom presentations, host film screenings, run information tables and advocate to bring SFC resources to campuses that didn't have them. Christina will walk through how the certification works and how you can get the students in your community started. She'll also cover the other ways we elevate youth voice, from our Youth Content Creators team to our XOMAD microinfluencer campaign to our partnership with Youth Creating Change, where we helped shape a substance use PSA category
For questions, please contact: Denise Mariano, Vice President, Partnerships dmariano@songforcharlie.org