Understanding Substance Use and Mental Health Among Young Adults in Champaign-Urbana Through Participatory Listening Sessions

Academic Mentors | Moses Okumu, Doug Smith 
Community Partner | Urbana Park District

Project Description
Substance use and mental health challenges are growing concerns among young adults in Champaign-Urbana, with rising overdose rates and persistent disparities affecting underserved communities. Many young people are navigating stress, loneliness, relationship difficulties, and economic uncertainty, factors that shape substance use in interconnected ways. However, there is often a gap between intention and action, where social pressures, emotional stress, and limited access to supportive environments make it difficult to follow through on even well-considered plans. Understanding this gap requires listening to young people on their own terms in settings where they feel comfortable being honest about what they experience and what they actually need. This project takes a harm reduction and participatory approach to better understand how young adults experience and navigate these challenges. Additionally, this project seeks to learn more about the current recreational habits of youth in Champaign County. In these focus groups we will gather information about what encourages local youth of Champaign County to engage in recreational activities in the community. Engaging in recreational and prosocial activities often acts as a protective factor against addiction and initiating drug use. Lessons learned in these sessions will inform future programming at the Urbana Parks District.

We will conduct three small-group listening sessions with young adults aged 18–24 years in Champaign-Urbana. Each session will include 6 to 8 participants and will be organized around a distinct group: one with individuals who have lived experience of substance use, one with young women, and one with young men.

Role of the Scholar
The Community-Academic Scholar will work closely with the academic mentor and community partner, contributing to outreach, session support, and the interpretation of findings. This may include assisting with any of the following tasks: (a) conducting community outreach in Champaign-Urbana, engaging young adults in community settings, and introducing the project in a clear and respectful manner, including helping identify effective recruitment strategies and adapting approaches as needed; (b) supporting the listening sessions by helping create a welcoming environment, assisting with participatory activities, and taking detailed notes on discussions, group dynamics, and how participants engage with each other and the activities; (c) participating in structured debrief discussions following each session to identify key themes, patterns, and insights; and (d) contributing to organizing and synthesizing findings across sessions, helping to highlight key insights and participant-generated products that will inform the next phase of intervention development. Through this role, the scholar will gain experience in community-engaged research, participatory qualitative methods, qualitative data collection and observation, and early stages of intervention design.