Families as Agents of Community and Environmental Prevention: Lessons Learned From Implementing a Family-Led Intervention

The FERYA (Families Networked and Active) programme is a community- and environment-oriented intervention designed to strengthen the role of family organizations in the prevention of addictive behaviours and related risks, with a focus on leisure-time contexts. This practitioner narrative draws on qualitative and quantitative information collected during the programme's implementation in several Spanish regions between 2021 and 2024. The article examines key obstacles faced by family organizations when acting as agents of community prevention, including limitations in organizational capacity, leadership, sustained participation, evidence-based prevention knowledge, and external institutional support. The findings highlight both the potential of family organizations to contribute to community and environmental prevention and the structural conditions that constrain their long-term engagement. This experience illustrates the complexity of implementing bottom-up, systemic, multicomponent prevention approaches and emphasizes the relevance of capacity building, co-production with professionals, and supportive policy environments to enhance the sustainability of community-based prevention initiatives.