Jimena Kalawski, Chief of the Demand Reduction Unit of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS), and Barbara Correa, Regional Coordinator of the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP), offered welcoming remarks at the closing of a training for young leaders based on the Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC).
Twenty-seven youth from nine Latin American Member States participated in this online training, developed within the framework of the priority that the CICAD Executive Secretariat gives to youth prevention. December 4, 2025.
Building on this initiative, ISSUP National Chapters in the nine participating countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru) are actively working to strengthen youth engagement at the national level. As part of this effort, the National Chapters have identified youth leaders to be included in their National Chapters’ directories and are beginning to formally integrate youth-focused activities into their workplans for the coming year.
These actions mark an important step toward the development of national youth networks linked to ISSUP National Chapters, fostering leadership, capacity building, and meaningful participation of young professionals in prevention and substance use-related work.
This process represents the beginning of the creation of a regional network of youth working in the substance use workforce across Latin America, reinforcing collaboration and peer learning.
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