At its National Leadership Forum in February, CADCA welcomed distinguished international leaders representing prevention organizations from Türkiye, Canada, and Spain:
- Sümeyye Ceylan, Vice President, Turkish Green Crescent Society
- Sedef Erçetin Gencosmanoğlu, International Cooperation Manager, Turkish Green Crescent Society
- Karen Cumberland, Vice President, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
- Dr. Alexander Caudarella, CEO, Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction
- Berenice Santamaria, Proyecto Hombre
Throughout the week, these leaders were fully immersed in the Forum experience. They participated in an international orientation and roundtable discussion, attended SAMHSA’s Prevention Day sessions and keynotes, joined coalition and leadership meetings, and engaged with the broader prevention community during events like the Coalitions Ideas Fair.
During the international roundtable, participants exchanged ideas on how prevention is structured in their respective countries and explored opportunities for collaboration across borders. Each delegation brought a unique perspective shaped by their country’s prevention policies, infrastructure, and cultural context.
In Canada, prevention is still an emerging field. As Cumberland noted, the country lacks a formal prevention workforce, making it difficult to coordinate and sustain efforts at the community level. Dr. Caudarella added that “when [prevention] is everyone’s responsibility, it’s no one’s responsibility.”
In Spain, prevention is more formally embedded within a national framework. Proyecto Hombre operates one of the country’s largest networks dedicated to prevention, treatment, and social integration, consisting of more than 200 centers across its autonomous communities. Their work is closely aligned with Spain’s National Drug Plan and supported through a mix of public and private funding. This structure allows for strong coordination between national strategy and local implementation, while still giving communities flexibility to address their unique challenges.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Green Crescent Society highlighted a community-centered approach that is culturally relevant. With counseling centers in every city and partnerships that extend to pharmacists, family doctors, educators, and even neighborhood leaders, their model reflects a whole-of-society commitment to prevention. Leaders like Ceylan are pushing prevention forward through creative educational design, using interactive tools, games, and immersive learning experiences to engage young people and families.
Across all three delegations, there was a shared emphasis on early intervention, community engagement, and culturally relevant strategies. At the same time, there was clear interest in CADCA’s coalition model, especially its ability to mobilize communities to support sustainable prevention strategies.
Bringing these leaders together opened the door for ongoing collaboration and a better understanding of how prevention can grow across different systems. CADCA looks forward to continuing to build on these connections and seeing where this work goes next.
