Why Get Involved With A Community Coalition?

Why Get Involved With A Community Coalition?

Youth

  • Gain knowledge, vocational experience, and apprenticeship opportunities and community involvement hours (looks great on college applications!)
  • Build leadership skills and empower yourself – voice your thoughts on issues that concern you.
  • Improve your neighborhood.

Parents

  • Network with other parents and learn what young people are really up to and what is being done in your community to make it better for young people.
  • Learn the factors in the community that place young people at risk for substance use and other problem behaviors and what drugs young people are using.
  • Participate in a planning process that will help influence your community’s prevention strategy.

Faith Based Organizations

  • Research shows that participation in faith is a strong protective factor providing an opportunity for spiritual strength, and spiritual and social growth.
  • Generate support for your spiritual counseling, youth ministries, groups, activities and programs.
  • Provides opportunities for mentoring, leadership opportunities and inspiration.

Schools

  • Coalitions facilitate partnerships between schools and communities, which increases student/school bonding. Students that are bonded to their school are more protected from drug use.
  • Schools interact with you daily and have important information for the community and vice and versa.
  • Schools have an opportunity to share the responsibility for change with other community leaders, which helps provide seamless services to students and families.

Civic Groups

  • Help identify gaps in services and develop programs to eliminate gaps.
  • Become a mentor to our youth helping young people to develop character and marketable skills.
  • Promote leadership/partnership.

Business

  • Demonstrate your business’ concern for local youth and families.
  • Discuss how local teen alcohol and drug use impact your business and strategize to create positive change.
  • Improve the quality of the city’s future workforce and leaders.

Law Enforcement

  • Reduce violent and drug related crime through better community collaboration.
  • Improve community relations resulting in better police image.
  • Coalition members can provide valuable grassroots information about emerging issues.

Government

  • Gain visibility and input from important leaders in your community.
  • Hear community issues directly from community members themselves.
  • Affect policy and legislation directly associated with your community’s youth.

Healthcare

  • Hear about local alcohol and other drug issues that affect the health of community residents.
  • Share effective prevention strategies (such as universal substance abuse screening).
  • Educate community members about the health related consequences of alcohol and other drug use.

Youth Serving Organizations

  • Share information about emerging substance abuse trends and participate in an effective framework for prevention.
  • Help recruit young people for coalition strategies.
  • Build connections in the community and publicize agency activities and services.

Media

  • Learn about current and emerging substance abuse concerns.
  • Gain access to substance abuse related news as it happens.
  • Build relationships with community experts for input on current and future media opportunities.

Substance Abuse Prevention/Treatment Agencies

  • Create effective partnerships for prevention.
  • Generate referrals for your programs and activities.
  • Provide expertise to other community members.