How to Get Involved in the Community
February 2nd, 2023
Submitted by: Jim Posey CHES, OCPSA
Young Prevention Professional Project member
When trying to implement prevention, there are many aspects you will need to know about the community you are serving. The best way to get started is by joining community coalitions. Coalitions are groups of different organizations or people come together to achieve a common goal. They can be composed of public health professionals, school systems, law enforcement, faith leaders, and much more. Since multiple organizations partner together to participate, you are able to receive a wide range of perspectives, information, and resources on the issues each community is facing and how to help address it. In order to reach all parts of the community, having multiple sectors represented in a coalition makes coalition work more effective.
Many prevention professionals use SAMHSA’s Strategic Planning Framework (SPF) when trying to address substance misuse and mental health related problems in their communities. The steps to the SPF include Assessment, Building Capacity, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. It is important to plan evidence-based prevention efforts strategically because it helps ensure that these efforts are appropriate for the communities they are targeting.
