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.