ITI Musings Blog

As #PreventionMonth enters its last week, this is an ideal time to acknowledge that prevention programs and campaigns focusing on substance misuse, mental health awareness, digital wellness and literacy, and other public health issues too often overlook the importance of meaningfully engaging youth - viewing youth as just beneficiaries of prevention strategies but not as a driving force behind cultural shifts. Their involvement is frequently sidelined or tokenized, and adults

Youth prevention efforts often focus on external factors—education, resources, or policies intended to guide young people toward healthy, positive decisions. However, a model developed years ago by psychologist Abraham Maslow provides a robust framework for understanding human behavior’s internal motivations. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a theory outlining the stages of human motivation, offers invaluable insights for youth prevention programs. The Foundation: Basic Needs The