Hanna Summit

Hanna Summit

Addressing Youth Substance Use Through Community, Care & Connection

Addressing Youth Substance Use Through Community, Care & Connection

October 15-16, 2026 ● Hanna Center

Become a Speaker Register

About the Summit

Now in its 4th year, the 2026 Hanna Center Summit is a two-day event, developed jointly with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Substance Use Health and Prevention Services, to move youth substance use response from conversation to coordinated action. Day one grounds attendees in current data, funding landscape, and available resources; day two turns toward keynote inspiration, emerging models of care, and concrete cross-system tools.

We’ll explore the root causes and risk factors behind youth substance use, elevate evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies, and make the case for a stronger, more connected system of support for every young person. Attendees will leave equipped with real-world tools, current data, renewed hope, and a stronger, more connected professional community.

Featured Keynote Speaker

Richard Cabral

Richard Cabral is an Emmy-nominated actor, writer, and advocate whose extraordinary life is a testament to the power of second chances and systems-level support.

For much of his early life, Richard was entrenched in gang violence, addiction, and incarceration—a trajectory shaped by cycles of trauma and limited pathways out. After serving time in prison, he made the deliberate choice to rebuild. That decision required more than individual willpower; it required access to rehabilitation programs and mentorship. His partnership with Homeboy Industries, one of the nation’s largest gang intervention and reentry organizations, proved pivotal—providing him both structure and community as he worked to break decades-long patterns.

Richard’s transformation is neither inevitable nor simple. It’s the result of sustained effort, organizational support, and his own refusal to accept a predetermined outcome. That earned success—his recovery, his career, his platform—is what he brings to the stage. He speaks from lived expertise about overcoming addiction, violence, and the systems barriers that keep people trapped. His one-man show, Fighting Shadows, distills that journey into a powerful testimony about what change actually requires.

Today, Richard uses his platform—including his work as an actor and writer—to advocate for recovery, reentry, and the transformative potential of second chances. His message resonates because it’s grounded in the reality of what he survived and what he built.

At Hanna Center, we see every day how many different systems — schools, healthcare, social services, and more — touch a young person’s life, and how disconnected those systems can be from one another. We have a responsibility to ask hard questions about whether those systems are working together or working in silos. Partnering with Sonoma County on this Summit lets us take that question countywide, ground it in real data, and build the professional community to act on the answers together.

Cameron Safarloo President & CEO, Hanna Center

Every young person in this county is touched by so many different organizations, and no single one of us — Hanna Center included — can hold this work alone. This Summit is about building the shared system around young people: knowing who we are, what we’re each doing, and how we hand a young person to the next resource instead of letting them fall through the cracks. Practitioners will leave with current county data, concrete tools, and a stronger professional community to act on together.

Maria Jaramillo-Botero, LMFT Director of Training, Hanna Center

Effective prevention starts well before a young person reaches a crisis. It means understanding the conditions that influence substance use, listening to youth and families, and building protective factors across schools, homes, and communities. This Summit creates an opportunity to turn Sonoma County data and community expertise into practical strategies that strengthen prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery supports for young people throughout the county.

Will Gayowski Substance Use Disorders and Recovery Services Section Manager, Sonoma County Department of Health Services

Who Attends

Our attendees are frontline professionals 
who work directly with youth, including:

Educators (K–12, higher ed, and alternative programs)

School Counselors and Psychologists

Mental Health Professionals and Therapists

Social Services and Child Welfare Workers

Healthcare Providers (pediatrics, primary care, adolescent medicine)

Youth-Facing Community Organizers and Nonprofits

Group Home and Residential Care Professionals

Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Specialists

We Are Seeking Speakers Who...

  • Have direct expertise or lived experience related to youth substance use, addiction, or recovery
  • Can offer practical, actionable strategies that attendees can apply immediately
  • Bring a trauma-informed, equity-centered, or community-based lens to their work
  • Are committed to centering the dignity and resilience 
of young people
  • Can engage a diverse, multidisciplinary professional audience

Session Types Available (60–75 min)

An inspiring, large-audience presentation that sets the tone for the day. Our Day 2 keynote is confirmed: Emmy-nominated actor, writer, and advocate Richard Cabral. We continue to welcome additional keynote-caliber proposals for consideration in other summit sessions.

Breakout Workshop (45–60 min)

Interactive, skills-based sessions for smaller groups. Ideal for facilitators who want to teach a specific tool, framework, or practice that participants can take back to their work.

Panel Discussion (60 min)

Moderated conversations featuring 3–4 speakers with diverse perspectives on a shared topic. Great for nuanced exploration of complex issues.

Lived Experience Spotlight (20–30 min)

Short, powerful presentations from individuals who have personal experience with youth substance use — as a young person, a family member, or a community member. These stories anchor our summit in humanity.

Become a Speaker

We encourage submissions on topics including (but not limited to):

01
Early warning signs and prevention strategies in school and community settings
02
Trauma, ACEs, and the link between adverse experiences and substance use
03
Supporting youth in recovery: what works in practice
04
Family engagement and home-based prevention approaches
05
Culturally responsive and identity-affirming interventions
06
The role of mental health in substance use prevention and treatment
07
Harm reduction approaches for adolescents
08
Legal and policy frameworks impacting youth substance use
09
Building protective factors: belonging, purpose, and connection
10
Navigating mandated reporting and confidentiality with youth
11
How organizations can improve communication with one another to better serve youth

How to Submit a Proposal

We welcome all who feel called to contribute. To submit a speaker proposal, please send the following to [email protected] by August 31, 2026:

  • Your name, title, and organization
  • A brief bio (150 words or less)
  • Proposed session title and type (keynote, workshop, panel, spotlight)
  • A short description of your session (200 words or less)
  • 3 learning objectives participants will take away
  • Any A/V or accommodation needs
Submit by Email

Questions?

Reach out to us at [email protected] or visit hannacenter.org.

We are grateful for every voice willing to show up for young people.

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