Friends in Focus: Developing a Peer-to-Peer Intervention for Adolescents

Against a background of a higher prevalence of adolescent substance use compared to use among adults, UNODC searched for a peer-to-peer intervention since peer influence is one of the most persuasive factors at the age range of 14-17 year old. Friends in Focus is an intervention of six two-hour sessions delivered by young trainers to peers aged 14-17, aiming for the latter to have enhanced interaction with their friends. The trainers are equipped with a standardized practical manual and a three-day interactive training. The article narrates the design process, grounded in prevention science and drawing on open-source, evidence-based interventions. The preparatory steps and building blocks established to ensure a solid foundation for a future effectiveness study. From a practitioner's perspective in this development process, we learnt that a large, global review group with scientists, practitioners and youth delivered critical input for the intervention components and that prototyping in the field delivers crucial data to improve the intervention components for a robust effectiveness study in the near future.