Home, School, and Community Programs™
The Courage to Speak® Foundation delivers substance use prevention programs in person or virtually for students, parents, and school communities. Through personal storytelling paired with age-appropriate education, our programs support awareness, informed decision-making, and healthy, drug-free choices.
Our programs are designed to work within a range of school settings and instructional constraints. We provide live presentation programs for students, parents, and community audiences, along with structured classroom curricula developed to align with students’ developmental stages from upper elementary through high school. For schools or organizations unable to implement classroom-based instruction, an after-school program is available as a flexible, supplemental option.
Presentation Programs
Our presentation programs introduce the Courage to Speak® approach and establish a shared foundation for schools, parents, and communities. These presentations are often the first point of engagement and may stand alone or support broader prevention efforts.
The Courage to Speak® Presentation
The Courage to Speak® Presentation
Ginger Katz delivers the Courage to Speak® Presentation as Founder and CEO of the Courage to Speak® Foundation and author of Sunny’s Story. Drawing from her personal experience as a mother who lost her son Ian to a drug overdose, she helps audiences recognize warning signs of alcohol and other drug use and understand why early, ongoing conversations matter.
Shared with honesty and emotional integrity, the presentation encourages young people to speak up, reach out to a trusted adult, and recognize when something is not right. It also helps parents and caregivers understand signs of substance use and the importance of open, ongoing communication. Ginger Katz has delivered more than 1,000 presentations nationwide.
Customized presentations are also available for educators, counselors, health professionals, prevention coalitions, faith communities, and organizations that support youth and families.
Age-Appropriate Student Presentations
These presentations are tailored to student developmental levels and delivered in school settings to support awareness, healthy decision-making, and early intervention. Each program is adapted to fit the age group, setting, and needs of the audience.
A Mother’s Story
A Mother’s Story is an age-appropriate presentation shared by Ginger Katz. Through personal storytelling and guided discussion, she helps audiences understand the importance of healthy choices, open communication, and speaking up when something doesn’t feel right.
The presentation is thoughtfully adapted to fit the audience and setting, and is delivered to students in upper elementary, middle school, high school, and college environments, as well as adult audiences when appropriate.
Presented in person or virtually.
Courageous Students 101 – Navigating Through the Drug Crisis and Beyond™
Courageous Students – Navigating Through the Drug Crisis and Beyond™ is a direct, educational presentation that helps students understand the realities of today’s drug crisis. Ginger Katz combines real-world context, current substance trends, and practical refusal skills to help students recognize risk, understand how substance use affects the developing brain, and make safer decisions.
The presentation is adapted for middle school, high school, and college audiences and is tailored to fit the age, setting, and needs of each group.
Presented in person or virtually.
Parenting Program
This program is designed for parent and caregiver audiences and can be delivered as a stand-alone prevention event. It combines Ginger Katz’s presentation with a structured follow-up session led by a trained prevention professional.
Courageous Parenting 101® – Parenting Through the Opioid Crisis and Beyond™
The Courage to Speak® – Courageous Parenting 101® “Parenting Through the Opioid Crisis and Beyond™” is offered in person or virtually as a two-part prevention program. Parents first hear A Mother’s Story, presented by Ginger Katz, Founder and CEO of The Courage to Speak® Foundation and author of Sunny’s Story. This is followed by a Courageous Parenting 101® session facilitated by a trained and certified prevention professional.
Together, the program helps parents recognize warning signs of substance use, strengthen communication with their children, teach refusal skills, support healthy coping strategies, and better understand how marijuana use can influence opioid misuse.
The program is also offered in Spanish. Ginger Katz’s presentation is delivered with live translation, and the Courageous Parenting 101® session is facilitated entirely in Spanish by a certified prevention professional.
Presented in person or virtually.
School-Based Curriculum
These curricula are designed for classroom-based instruction during the school day. For schools or community organizations unable to implement classroom instruction, an after-school implementation option, The Courage to Speak® Drug Prevention Education for After School Programs, is available as a structured, supplemental approach.
Upper Elementary Substance Use Prevention Curriculum
The Courage to Speak® Foundation’s substance use prevention curriculum for upper elementary students (Grades 4–6, nine lessons) supports healthy decision-making and helps students recognize how to avoid risky situations related to alcohol and other drugs. Delivered by classroom teachers, the program provides practical knowledge and age-appropriate refusal strategies. The curriculum is introduced through Sunny’s Story, which serves as a shared narrative framework for discussion and skill development.
Curriculum materials are provided in a digital format. Schools may integrate materials into their existing learning management systems as appropriate. Classroom implementation requires copies of Sunny’s Story for student use.
Middle School Substance Use Prevention Curriculum
The Courage to Speak® Foundation’s middle school substance use prevention curriculum is designed for students in early adolescence, a time when exposure to substances such as alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, and prescription drugs often increases. Commonly implemented in Grades 7–8, the curriculum may also be used in Grade 6 settings where appropriate. Aligned with national standards for effective prevention, it strengthens decision-making skills, builds communication and refusal strategies, and encourages healthy choices.
This curriculum is designed for structured classroom implementation and delivered by teachers as part of the school day. Lessons may be taught sequentially or integrated into existing health education frameworks, depending on school needs.
Curriculum materials are provided in a digital format. Schools may integrate materials into their existing learning management systems as appropriate.
High School Substance Use Prevention Curriculum
The Courage to Speak® Foundation’s high school substance use prevention curriculum supports students as they navigate increasingly complex pressures and choices during adolescence. Commonly implemented across Grades 9–12, the program builds advanced communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, and strengthens students’ ability to evaluate risk, set goals, and make healthy, informed choices.
This curriculum is designed for structured classroom implementation and delivered by teachers as part of the school day. Lessons may be taught sequentially or integrated into existing health education frameworks, depending on school needs.
Curriculum materials are provided in a digital format. Schools may integrate materials into their existing learning management systems as appropriate.
The Courage to Speak® Drug Prevention Education for After School Programs
for After School Programs
The Courage to Speak® Drug Prevention Education for After School Programs provides a structured, supplemental implementation option for schools and community organizations. The program is introduced through Sunny’s Story, which serves as a narrative framework for substance use prevention instruction.
Following the introduction through Sunny’s Story, students participate in guided art and creative writing activities that reinforce prevention concepts, healthy decision-making, and personal expression in a supportive after-school setting.
Program materials are provided in a digital format. Schools and organizations may integrate materials into their existing learning management systems as appropriate.