FACTOR #2: Appropriate cross section of partners

TOOL: Assess Breadth, Depth & Scope

1. Explore the three dimensions of a collaborative prevention community-development
   model ...
   
   
   • Breadth of representation,
     
     
   • Depth of participation, and
     
     
   • Scope of strategies used.
     
     
2. Assess the breadth, depth and scope of your collaborative prevention effort.
   
   
3. Determine which of these three dimensions needs to be expanded.
   
   
4. Prepare for specific learning experiences that focus on designing strategies for expanding the collaboration's breadth, depth and/ or scope.

• Newsprint pad and easel
• Markers in a variety of colors
• Sticky dots in a variety of colors: red, orange, dark blue, green, yellow, purple, tan, black, light blue, bright green

BREADTH, DEPTH, AND SCOPE

Background Paper

• Breadth of representation,
  
  
• Depth of participation, and
  
  
• Scope of strategies used.
  
  

• Expanding the Breadth of Support and Involvement
  
  The collaboration is encouraging wider levels of support and involvement from more and more parts (sectors) of the community, including all cultures, neighborhoods, systems, and organizations that comprise the community.
  
  For example, not only does the collaboration have the support and involvement of the original collaboration members, but it has reached out, recruited, and involved organizations and individuals from those sectors most affected by the activities and expected outcomes of the collaboration.
  
  
• Expanding the Depth of Support and Involvement
  
  The collaboration is encouraging deeper levels of support and involvement from within each part (sector) of the community.
  
  For example, initially the police chief or mayor may have been the only representative from the law-enforcement system participating in a crime prevention collaboration, but now the collaboration has the active support of the Fraternal Order of Police, precinct captains, foot patrol officers, and community "Block-Watch" program participants.
  
  
• Expanding the Scope of Strategies Used
  
  The collaboration is using an increasing number of strategies to target, organize, and mobilize many different parts (sectors) of the community.
  
  

• Complete an assessment of each dimension;
  
  
• Set priorities for which of the dimensions to expand; and,
  
  
• Design strategies for expanding the targeted dimension.

Breadth

1. Brainstorm a list of all the community sectors in your community ... such as business, educaion, religious etc. ... especially those sectors most affected by the activities and outcome of the collaboration.
   
   
2. Record responses on a sheet of newsprint that is entitled "Breadth Potential List."
   
   
3. Highlight on your "Breadth Potential List" those sectors that currently support and are involved in your collaboration.

Depth

1. Review the reference sheet entitled "Examples of Different Sectors and Organizations" -- on the next several pages -- which lists some of the community organizations that are associated with some community sectors.
   
   
2. For each community sector identified on your "Breadth Potential List," brainstorm a list of community organizations that are associated with that sector in your community ... especially those organizations most affected by the activities and outcome of the collaboration. Be as specific and complete as possible.
   
   
3. Record responses on a sheet of newsprint that is entitled "Depth Potential List."
   
   
4. Highlight on your "Depth Potential List" those organizations that currently support and are involved in your collaboration.

EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT SECTORS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Reference Sheet

A. Scope Potential List

1. Review the "Prevention Strategies & Activities: Reference Sheet" -- on the following pages -- which lists some strategies and related activities used by prevention collaborations.
   
   
2. Use this reference sheet as a starting point to brainstorm, on newsprint, a more complete a list of potential strategies and related activities appropriate for your community and your collaboration. Entitle this list "Potential Strategies and Activities."

PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Reference Sheet

1. Increasing Knowledge/Raising Awareness:
   
   Activities in this category involve efforts to increase knowledge and raise awareness about the negative effects of problem/ issue. This category can include direct instructional experiences as well as mass media (i.e., newspaper, television, radio) and special events (e.g., poster contests, parades).
   
   
2. Building Skills/Competencies:
   
   Activities in this category involve the development of skills and competencies. Such programs could be directed at increasing the competencies of youth, parents, teachers, and families in such areas as communication, decision-making, organizing, policy development, resource development, Fundraising, and conflict-management skills.
   
   
3. Increasing Involvement in Healthy Alternative Activities:
   
   Activities in this category including school and non-school-based programs. Examples of efforts in this area include support of youth athletic leagues, development of drop-in centers, drug-free alternative activities such as parent/ student/ school-supported drug-free prom night activities.
   
   
4. Changing Institutional or Organizational Policies:
   
   Activities in this category involve supporting efforts of organizations or institutions to initiate or continue policies relevant to prevention. For example, efforts by schools to develop an athletic department policy regarding steroid use or efforts by the Chamber of Commerce to encourage business to adopt a policy of alcohol-server training.
   
   
5. Changing Law Enforcement and Regulatory Attention:
   
   Activities in this category involve efforts to intensify law-enforcement activities and influence Government policy and regulation. Examples of law-enforcement-directed activities include efforts to increase enforcement of underage drinking laws and to introduce community policing in areas of drug dealing. Regulatory activities would involve efforts to influence legislation or policies at the municipal, regional, or State level. Examples could include efforts to increase the tax on alcoholic beverages, efforts to make renewal of liquor licenses contingent upon participation in alcohol-server training programs, and efforts to initiate stricter minimum sentencing guidelines.
   
   
6. Building Coalition/Task Force/Collaboration Capacity:
   
   Activities in this category involve efforts at increasing the collaboration's viability and capacity to launch activities in the future. It does not include activities directed toward the development of any specific program ... but rather it is directed toward such activities as increasing membership and staff, advocating for additional funds, conducting needs assessments that would provide the basis for later programming, and seeking technical assistance and training for long-term planning.

B. Scope of Strategies Used

1. Using the brainstormed list of the potential strategies and activities, use the "Scope of Prevention Strategies: Worksheet" -- on the following pages -- to record the activities, under each of the strategy categories, in which your collaboration is already involved.

SCOPE OF PREVENTION STRATEGIES

Worksheet

Membership List

1. On newsprint, brainstorm as complete a list as possible of all the individual members-people-involved in your collaboration.
   
   

Type of Representation

1. Discuss:
   
   
   • What is the value of having people who speak for a constituency/ organization rather than for themselves?
     
     
   • What does it mean to "speak for" an organization?
     
     
   • How can you tell if someone "speaks for" an organization, a group, a constituency, or a sector of the entire community -- as compared to someone who just "speaks for" them-self?
     
     
   • How can your collaboration identify and recruit members who "speak for" constituencies?
     
     
2. Determine the type of representation played by members of your collaboration by asking the following question:
   
   "Does this person represent:
   
   
   • Himself or herself?
     
     
   • An organization or a constituency?
     
     
   • An entire community sector?"
     
     
   If you find it hard to answer this question, imagine that the member were voting on a critical collaboration/community issue. Would the person vote the way he or she personally thought best, the way the group he or she belongs to would vote, or the way the entire community sector of which he or she is a part would vote?
   
   
3. Use the "Membership Role: Worksheet" -- on the following page -- to outline other ways to assess if a member represents himself/herself, a group, or a sector.

MEMBERSHIP ROLE

Worksheet

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY TOOL

Worksheet

From Brainstorm to Illustration: Use the data generated thus far to draw a "Collaboration Picture" that:

1. Identifies each of the community sectors that support your collaboration;
   
   
2. Identifies and links each of the organizations that currently support your collaboration to its community sector;
   
   
3. Identifies each member of the collaboration by the role that he or she plays (using the triangles, boxes, or circles) and links that member to his or her appropriate sector and/or organization;
   
   
4. Identifies each of the strategies and related activities currently used by your collaboration. Do this by placing a colored dot on your picture for each activity that you listed under each strategy on the "Scope of Prevention Strategies: Worksheet." Use the following key to color code the activities:
   
   
   • Increasing Knowledge/Raising Awareness-red
   • Building Skills/Competencies-orange
   • Increasing Involvement in Healthy Alternatives-dark blue
   • Changing Institutional or Organizational Policies-green
   • Changing Law Enforcement Attention-yellow
   • Building coalition/task force/collaboration Capacity-purple
   • Building Institutional and Community Capacity-tan
   • Other Prevention Strategies/Activities-black
   • Treatment/Early Identification and Referral-light blue
   • Other Strategies-bright green
     
     
   For example, if your collaboration is engaged in two activities related to the Increasing Knowledge and Raising Awareness strategy, you would place two red dots on your picture.
   
   If possible, link these dots to the individuals, organizations, or community sectors that are
   
   working on each of these activities.

Learning Group Discussion

1. Discuss the following questions:
   
   
   • Do the members of the collaboration represent each of the community sectors -- especially those sectors most affected by the activities or outcome of the collaboration?
     
     Do they represent organizations within each of the community sectors -- especially those sectors and organizations most affected by the activities or outcome of the collaboration?
     
     If not, which sectors and organizations must be offered representation in order for the collaboration to effectively advance its agenda?
     
     Which sectors and organizations must be recruited immediately in order to make progress?
     
     What actions can the collaboration take to expand the breadth of representation ... that is, to reach out to and recruit members and organizations from within these vital sectors and organizations?
     
     
   • Does the membership of the collaboration reflect the composition of your community and of the people who are most affected by the activities and desired outcome of the collaboration?
     
     If not, what actions can be taken to reach out to and recruit a more diverse and representative membership?
     
     
   • Do all of the members of the collaboration represent organizations/groups, or do some represent themselves?
     
     If all members do not represent organizations or groups, what can be done to expand the number of members who represent constituencies?
     
     
   • Do members from the same community sector (e.g., the schools) represent its many levels? (For example, are both teachers and administrators involved in the collaboration?)
     
     If not, what levels within each of the sectors need to be represented?
     
     What can be done to expand the depth of participation within each of the sectors?
     
     
   • Are the collaboration's activities and programs evenly distributed between the various prevention strategies?
     
     If not, what can be done to expand the scope of strategies used by the collaboration?

Action Planning

1. Use the "Breadth, Depth, and Scope Assessment: Action Planning Worksheet" -- on the following page -- to record suggestions and ideas generated from the large group discussion.

BREADTH, DEPTH, AND SCOPE

Assessment and Action Planning Worksheet

"SUCCESS" FACTOR

Action Planning Worksheet