Implementation of a universal prevention model to reduce substance use in adolescents in the municipality of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina

ISSUP Colombia invites you to its webinar on 'Implementation of a universal prevention model to reduce substance use in adolescents in the municipality of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina'

Date: May 26, 2026

Time: 11:00 AM Chile time

The Icelandic universal prevention model has proven to be an attractive alternative for reducing substance use and increasing the general well-being of young people. This intervention model originated in Iceland in the 90s, currently showing significant decreases in the prevalence of consumption of all substances. From this effectiveness, the model was replicated in different regions of the world, with participation in the five continents. Particularly in Latin America, Chile was the first to implement this work methodology, while San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca was the first municipality in Argentina to carry out its implementation.

The model is based on the importance of strengthening the contexts in which young people in a region develop, through community, intersectoral work and based on local evidence. In this webinar, the guidelines of the Icelandic prevention model, the implementation carried out in the municipality of San Fernando in the Catamarca valley and the results achieved to date will be presented.

Target audience:

Academics, professionals who are linked to prevention programs with territorial deployment.

Learning outcomes:

Application/adaptation in the municipality of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina. The basic lines of the model, local actions and evidence obtained to date will be presented.

References:

General Directorate of Human Development (2024). Report on the Questionnaire on Living Conditions of Young People in the Capital. Municipality of San Fernando in the Catamarca Valley.
Planet Youth (2025). Planet Youth Community Implementation Guide. Second Edition. Planet Youth ehf.
Kristjansson, A. L., Mann, M. J., Sigfusson, J., Thorisdottir, I. E., Allegrante, J. P., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2020). Principles, Guidelines and Development of the Icelandic Model for the Prevention of Substance Use in Adolescents. Health Promotion Practice Month, 4.
Kristjansson, A. L., Mann, M. J., Sigfusson, J., Thorisdottir, I. E., Allegrante, J. P., & Sigfusdottir, I. D. (2020). Implementation of the Icelandic Model for the Prevention of Substance Use in Adolescents. Health Promotion Practice Month, 4.

Rapporteur:

Matías García Terán.

Bachelor's degree in psychology with a focus on organizational psychology (Universidad Empresarial Siglo XXI, Córdoba, Argentina). Diploma in Public Health (University of Texas, Arlington). President of the Janus Foundation (Center for Prevention and Care in Mental Health and Addictions).

He is the current director of the General Directorate of Human Development belonging to the Ministry of Health of the municipality of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. In that role, she coordinated the implementation of the Icelandic universal prevention model "Planet Youth" from 2020 to 2025.

He served as Secretary of Mental Health and Addictions under the Ministry of Health of Catamarca and performed tasks as a delegate for Catamarca of the Federal Council on Drugs (CoFeDro) and the Federal Council of Mental Health and Addictions (CoFeSaMA), period 2016 – 2019.

He has been the care director of the "Humaraya" Comprehensive Health Center for the treatment of addictions. Assistance coordinator of the Las Vertientes therapeutic community. He served as an individual psychotherapist, coordinator of skills workshops and coordinator of therapeutic groups at Foundation for Assistance in Conduct Disorders. Founding member of the Federal Network of Associations of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies.

She has held numerous workshops with recognized teachers in behavioral therapies, was trained in statistical analysis and research methodology, as well as public health management. He published in refereed scientific journals and exhibited at different national and international conferences.

Moderator:

Jorge Bravo Cuervo,

Sociologist Master in Social Sciences, Mention Regional and Local Development. University Academy of Christian Humanism. Bachelor of Sociology. Catholic University of Lima. Peru. Bachelor's Degree in Social Sciences with a major in Sociology. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Lima. Peru.
From the late 90s to the present he has worked in the territorial public management of programs and strategies for the prevention of drug use.

Webinars and online events presented and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.