Healthy Holiday Choices: Substance Prevention for Youth

ISSUP Tanzania would like to invite you to its webinar titled 'Healthy Holiday Choices: Substance Prevention for Youth'.

Date: 18th December 2025

Time: 6:00 PM EAT | 3:00 PM London 

Register for the Webinar

Youth substance use prevention is especially important during festive seasons, when increased social activities and peer influence can heighten risk for experimentation. Understanding adolescent behavior and the factors that place young people at risk allows families, schools, and communities to strengthen protective strategies that reduce the likelihood of first-time drug use. 

This webinar will explore how the festive season creates unique conditions that increase the likelihood of adolescents and young people initiating substance use. It will highlight key risk factors such as increased social activities, reduced supervision, exposure to older peers, and emotional or environmental triggers that influence decision-making during holidays. The session will provide evidence-based prevention strategies, communication approaches for parents and communities, and practical skills for helping young people make healthy and informed choices. 

Interactive discussions, case examples, and practical tips will help participants understand how to protect youth and promote resilience during high-risk holiday periods. 

Target Audience:

• Parents and caregivers, teachers and school counselors, youth workers and peer educators, substance use prevention professionals, community leaders and CSOs, adolescents and young adults, anyone working with or supporting young people

Learning Outcomes:

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Identify seasonal factors that increase youth vulnerability to substance use 

2. Describe common pathways that lead adolescents to first-time drug use during holidays. 

3. Apply evidence-based strategies to support healthy decision-making among young people 

4. Strengthen communication techniques that build trust and resilience in youth. 

5. Promote community-level prevention practices tailored to the festive season context. 

Presenter:

Dr. Cassian Nyandindi 

Assistant Commissioner for Treatment and Rehabilitation – Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) 
Chairperson – ISSUP Tanzania. 
Expertise – Psychiatrist, Global Master Trainer for UTC and UPC, ICAP III 

Dr. Cassian Nyandindi is a Tanzanian psychiatrist and Assistant Commissioner for Treatment and Rehabilitation at the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority. He has played a central role in strengthening national strategies for substance-use prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. As Chairperson of ISSUP Tanzania, he actively promotes evidence-based approaches and builds the capacity of professionals. His work emphasizes public awareness, early prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community engagement to protect youth from emerging drug-use risks. Through the ISSUP platform, he continues to inspire and guide efforts toward safer, healthier communities. 

Dr. Isack Rugemarila 

Head of Mental Health Department – Benjamin Mkapa Hospital.
Secretary – ISSUP Tanzania.
Expertise – Psychiatrist, Global Master Trainer for UTC and UPC, ICAP III 

Dr. Isack Rugemalila is psychiatrist dedicated to advancing substance-use prevention and treatment in Tanzania. With extensive experience at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital and other hospitals and specialized training from the Humphrey Fellowship in the United States and Colombo Plan he focuses on improving services for adolescents, women and community affected by substance use. His work spans clinical care, public education, and research aimed at reducing stigma and strengthening access to evidence-based treatment. As an active contributor within ISSUP networks, he supports the expansion of professional capacity and promotes best practices that enhance community-level prevention and recovery efforts. 

Damali Kabwali 

Head of Programs – Tanzania Network of People who Use Drugs (TANPUD).
Member – ISSUP Tanzania.
Expertise – Social Worker, Trainer on UPC 

Damali is a social worker with over 18 years of experience in HIV programs and 15 years dedicated specifically to supporting people who use or inject drugs. She has played a key role in establishing and strengthening harm reduction services in Tanzania, including in Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, the Southern Highlands, and Mbeya Prison. She has worked with several national and international organizations and now serves as Head of Programs at the Tanzania Network for People Who Use Drugs. Her work includes developing national guidelines, expanding access to friendly health and legal services, and strengthening networks and community-led organizations of people who use drugs. She is also trained under the Universal Prevention Curriculum as both a practitioner and trainer. 

Moderator:

Shabani Miraji 

Prevention Officer – Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA).
Expertise – Educational Psychology, Master Trainer for UPC 

Webinars and online events delivered 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.