Next month, the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) will conduct its 4th International Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, previously held in Mexico (2018) and in Brazil (2017), is one of the most important of its kind in the prevention field and considered a reference among professionals in search of networking opportunities and intensive training. Under the slogan “Thinking Globally, Acting Locally”, this year’s conference is being organized in partnership with the National Kenyan Agency for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) and the African Union.
During ISSUP’s international conference, attendees will have the opportunity to attend trainings, learn from presentations, and network with prevention peer. A CADCA delegation comprised of General Arthur Dean, CADCA’s CEO and Chairman, Mr. Eric Siervo, Vice-president of International Programs, and CADCA Consultants Mr. Colber Prosper and Dr. Eduardo Hernandez, will represent CADCA during this year’s conference. Over the course of the week, members of the CADCA delegation will participate in plenary sessions, panels and lectures, showcasing examples of Kenyan and other African coalitions, and illustrating how the coalition model can be implemented outside the United States.
“ISSUP in Kenya is going to be a fantastic opportunity for prevention professionals from around the world to be able to learn more about the community coalition strategy and how it is being implemented throughout Kenya. It also provides an opportunity for community coalition leaders to come together under one roof and showcase examples of how coalitions are implemented in different countries and in diverse cultural settings in Africa. For example, this year ISSUP will have community coalition leaders from Uganda, Kenya and South Africa present, so they will have the opportunity to network, learn from each other, and share experiences on what they are doing to create community changes,” says Siervo.
CADCA Consultants will also conduct a 4-day long workshop titled “Core Essentials for Drug Prevention Coalition”, in which the participants will learn how to conduct a community assessment, develop logic models and comprehensive strategies, implement plans, set measurable objectives, and build coalition capacity. CADCA’s Youth Leadership Department is also expected to have an impactful participation at 2018’s ISSUP Nairobi. The team, led by its Manager Mr. Robert Alvarez, will conduct the event’s Youth Forum, expected to have over 200 youth from across the globe in attendance.
Currently with chapters in Brazil, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South African and United Arab Emirates, ISSUP is an international membership organization focused on the development, support, and representation of a professional workforce in the prevention and treatment field worldwide. ISSUP’s local chapters operate at a national level as an independent organization or through the operation of an existing host organization. For more information about ISSUP and its 4th International conference, access the event’s website at https://www.issup.net/issup-events/nairobi-2018.
