CEI Prevention Initiatives

The Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute invites you to participate in Rising to the Challenge, a Spring 2026 series of FREE, interactive workshops designed to strengthen the capacity of nonprofit organizations. Whether you attend one session or the full series, each workshop offers practical tools and insights to support your work.
Five one-hour sessions, held on Tuesdays at 11 a.m., are open to everyone; running from May 12 through June 16.
Explore the topics, find sessions that fit your interests, and register by visiting the flyer and selecting the workshop(s) you can attend.
Join us to learn, connect, and grow your impact.
Flyer: https://bit.ly/2026RTTCFlyer

We’ll be there!

If you're a dad and you're not really sure what to expect from Fathers In Focus.... This is for YOU!

Myth vs. Reality:
"A lot of people think dads don't need support like moms do...," but that's not true.

Dads need support too; they just don't always know how to ask for it or where to go to get it.

Nobody expects you to just know what you're doing, every dad is learning as they go... This event was created to give dads a space for just them to have — real conversations, mental health support, and tools & resources they can use.

We encourage you to join us — This Friday, April 3rd, from 4-8 PM at the 4-H Building!

Link ---> bit.ly/FathersInFocus26

Hooray for the Governor's Behavioral Health Services Planning Council!!! Welcome to social media!

🌻 Welcome to the official page of the Governor's Behavioral Health Services Planning Council! 🌻

We're excited to launch this space as a new way to connect with Kansans who care about mental health, substance use recovery, and behavioral health services across our state.

Here, we'll share updates on our important work—including planning, advising state government, monitoring services, and collaborating with partners to make behavioral health care more integrated, accessible, and effective for everyone. You'll find news about our meetings, subcommittee recommendations, prevention and treatment initiatives, recovery stories, resources, and ways to get involved.

Follow along, like, share, and comment to help spread the word. Together, we can build healthier communities.

Stay tuned for more soon! 💙

Kansas Prevention Advocacy Day was last week! And it was great! BEST EVER!

Take some time this March to focus on wellness!

January 29, 2019 (Kansas Day!) was the 1st Annual Kansas Prevention Advocacy Day (KsPAD). We had 33 registered to attend, and room for 50.
Fast Forward to February 26, 2026 when we had over 250 registered for the 7th Annual KsPAD and met in our 3rd venue to prepare after growing out of the previous 2. Pictures are coming soon!
KPC thanks Mende Barnett, Des Martens, Vicki Gieber, Krista Machado, Joy Schwartz, Johnny Lang, Chrissy Mayer, Andy Brown, Andy Martin, Patricia Houston, and the late Mike Parsons for helping design this great event that continues to grow, especially with partnerships with KPC Coalitions, Zero Reasons Why, Zero Reasons Why Central Kansas, Zero Reasons Why ICT, and Zero Reasons Why Johnson County!

NEW and REFRESHED! You can search the Kansas counties map for KPC Coalitions and their contact information, filter by map regions or funding sources, and scroll and search the interactive list of KPC Coalitions and contact information in the spreadsheet below the map. Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions or catch any needed changes.
https://kansaspreventioncollaborative.org/coalition-directory/

Also! Check out this awesome tutorial video on how to navigate the new KPC Coalitions Map!
https://youtu.be/mBNBbMu0ZV8?si=BBrkjbw6sReVDeWc

February 19!

📣 Community Event
NAMI Kansas SMVF Mental Health Awareness Day is February 19 at the Kansas State Capitol.

A day to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and support service members, veterans, and families.

YOUTH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT MINI GRANT

- Grant Application Due by 3/16/2026 -



Research shows that youth civic engagement is critical for a variety of reasons. Youth engagement can lead to increased academic performance and improved social-emotional well-being. It builds safe and inclusive school and community cultures and decreases dropout rates. When young people develop healthy civic habits, skills, and commitments, they become more active in community decision-making leading to broader representation and community benefit.

To support this purpose, the Kansas Volunteer Commission, a program of the Kansas State Department of Education, announces the availability of grant funds to support the civic engagement of youth in grades K-12. For this grant, applicants must engage youth in the planning and implementing of grant activities. Priority will be given to applications that include youth-led and youth-initiated projects.

https://kanserve.ksde.gov/resources/commission-mini-grants/youth-civic-engagement-mini-grant

Grant period is April 1 - September 30, 2026.

For questions, contact [email protected].

It’s Josh! But I don’t have to tell you that if you live in Wichita or did anything at Wichita State. You already know him!!

🌟Meet Josh Villa a Community Engagement Coordinator on CEI Prevention Initiatives' team, supporting prevention efforts through partnerships, community engagement, and initiatives that promote mental health and substance use prevention across Kansas.

What drives Josh’s work is knowing prevention creates change before a crisis happens, especially when that work centers community voices and supports long-term resilience. Even when the impact isn’t immediately visible, strong prevention efforts lay down the foundation for healthier communities.