This document provides suggestions and guidance to build and sustain a youth advisory board that addresses opioids and other substance use disorders in their communities.
This technical assistance brief (TAB) includes guidance on creating a framework, recruitment strategies, facilitation and engagement tips, building trust and providing benefits, and holding community stakeholders and organization accountable. The document’s purpose is to provide suggestions and guidance for building a youth advisory board (YAB) that addresses opioids and other substance use disorders (SUDs) in their communities. The TAB provides specific but widely applicable advice for establishing a YAB framework, beginning with the determination of the board’s purpose, identifying the youth target population and its characteristics and size; recruitment strategies such as marketing tactics and partnerships; engagement and facilitation, noting the importance of communication, transportation options, staffing, and balancing instruction with facilitation and youth leadership opportunities; the document also notes the importance of building trust and providing benefits for participating youth, which is noted to be important when working with those who have experienced trauma, abandonment, or who are working to become sober.