Advocate Field Guide Cheat Sheet
ORIENTATION GUIDE
On-the-Job Reference Guide
PREVENTION ADVOCATE FIELD GUIDE
An intro to prevention & public health. Returning youth: Refresher. New youth: Welcome aboard!
ADVOCATE:
ROLE: YOUTH PREVENTION LEADER
Public Health Frameworks
- • Upstream Focus: Fixing systems to protect people before wellness issues or substance habits can start.
- • Risk Factors: Minimizing biological or environmental elements that make negative pathways more likely.
- • Protective Factors: Boosting assets, connections, and support centers that help youth naturally thrive.
Medicine treats a sick individual. Public health cures the neighborhood.
Your Job as an Advocate:
We don't use shame or scare tactics. We build environments where peers:
🚀 Motivated & ready
🛠️ Have coping skills
🌟 Believe they can
🌳 Feel supported
⚖️ See benefits
💬 Valued as partners
MISSION: SUPPORT ENGAGEMENT, AVOID STIGMA & SHAME
Say It Right: Professional Language Standards stigma vs. connection
Avoid Stigmatizing Terms (Stigma blocks care)
- 🚨 "Addict" / "junkie" (defines a person by actions)
- 🚨 "Clean" or "dirty" (suggests physical/moral worth)
- 🚨 "Burnout" or "lost cause" (erases room for recovery)
- 🚨 Talking behind people's backs about health issues
Use Person-First Language (Trust is key)
- ✅ "Person with substance use disorder"
- ✅ "Person who uses drugs" (behavior ≠ identity)
- ✅ "In recovery" or "In active use" (clinical terms)
- ✅ "Seeking support" or "Using substances"
QUICK CHECK: WOULD YOU SAY THAT IN FRONT OF THE PERSON YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?
The Advocate's Dictionary (Core Glossary)
01 Youth-Led
Youth set the goals, make decisions, and directly drive the action plan.
02 Peer Pressure
Age-group influence shaping habits (direct or subtle online/vibe dynamics).
03 Equity
Giving folks precisely what they need to succeed, instead of identical tools.
04 Social Norm
Standard behaviors and viewpoints accepted as standard within a group.
05 Health Equity
Ensuring everyone has a fair and just opportunity to achieve wellness.
06 SDOH
Determinants of Health: Environment traits (housing, jobs) shaping life.
07 Primary Prev.
Upstream efforts to stop risks or bad habits before they ever manifest.
08 Secondary Prev.
Finding risks early (like testing high stress levels) to halt negative progression.
09 Advocacy
Speaking up to adjust city zoning, school guidelines, and resource pools.
Orientation cheat sheet: Keep in your handbook for reference Page 1 of 2
FIELDWORK METHODOLOGY
Section 2: Industry Exposure & Auditing
THE EQUITY & TARGETING ANALYSIS
Understanding predatory advertising and environmental hazards to plan community campaigns.
🗺️ The Equity Compass
Our compass reminds us that health is a resource. If systems cut off safe transit, fresh food, or mental wellness resources, community-wide risks spike.
🔥 Systemic Divisions:
"How else do we divide people and create health gaps?"
Income Zip Code Sexual Orientation Gender Identity
3 Levels of Inequity (Your Audit Guide)
Level 1 Structural Inequity:
Policies linking systems (e.g., historical redlining isolating neighborhoods next to manufacturing or commercial hazards).
Level 2 Institutional Inequity:
Rules of an organization (e.g., city codes letting retail vape stores pack transit corridors, or rigid suspension policies over supportive pathways).
Level 3 Individual Inequity:
Pre-judgments, stereotypes, and biases that direct personal daily treatment or client interactions.
Industry Playbook: Predatory Targeting Tactics
01 The Coping Seekers
Stress Trap
Vulnerability: Academic, social, and economic stress. Crave instant physical comfort and escape.
Risk Environment: Over-concentration of corner stores/gas stations near transit lines.
Strategy: Brand products as "stress busters" or "essential focus aids".
Equity Gaps: Systemic stress capitalized on to position addiction as daily self-care.
02 The Flavor Explorers
Novelty Trap
Vulnerability: High risk-seeking drive and peer social pressure; brain development stages.
Risk Environment: Eye-level checkout displays next to candy; high density of vape shops near schools.
Strategy: Masking harsh chemical taste with sweet candy flavors (mango, mint, blue razz).
Equity Gaps: Normal brain development stage exploited to hide long-term chemical harms.
03 Under-Resourced Hubs
Systemic Trap
Vulnerability: Neighborhoods lacking green parks, community youth centers, or sports complexes.
Risk Environment: Floods of predatory billboard advertisements and cheap product options.
Strategy: Saturate storefront window spaces and offer heavy, localized price discounts.
Equity Gaps: Zipcodes determine exposure. Redlining creates physical toxic zones.
04 Safe-Haven Cultural Hubs
Faux Advocacy
Vulnerability: historically marginalized groups (LGBTQ+ & BIPOC) seeking safe physical and social spaces.
Risk Environment: Ads and commercial banners integrated deep inside cultural festivals and parades.
Strategy: Sponsor community events, wrap products in rainbow flags, and copy liberation words.
Equity Gaps: Spaces of historic support and pride co-opted to pitch physical harm.
Field Tool: Neighborhood Risk & Vulnerability Checklist
Audit local neighborhood elements and rule frameworks
Individual-Level Risk Factors
Low School Connection: Feeling isolated or detached from teachers, peers, or clubs.
Beliefs Supporting Use: Thinking substances are necessary for fitting in, status, or fun.
Early First Use: Introducing substance compounds during childhood or early adolescence.
Low Harm Perception: Downplaying toxic risks and overlooking psychological dependencies.
Weak Coping Outlets: Lacking tools to manage academic stress, trauma, or socioeconomic pressure.
Family-Level Risk Factors
Lack of Supervision: No consistent monitoring of youth locations, companions, or habits.
Weak Family Bonds: Feeling unsupported, unvalued, or in high-conflict household settings.
Family Role Modeling: Exposure to household members actively engaging in substance misuse.
Parents Enabling Use: Adults permitting underage drinking, vaping, or misuse under home rules.
Silent Home Dynamics: Avoiding active, supportive discussions about risk guidelines and safety.
Equipped leaders protect communities. Scan your space. Page 2 of 2
