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A joint effort of Nebraska Law Enforcement Agencies to curb underage drinking

Think Before You Wink
Grand Island Substance Abuse Coalition
219 W. 2nd Street
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 385-5520

Working together with:
Hall County Sheriff's Office
131 S. Locust Street
Grand Island, NE 68801

Project Coordinator:
Randy See
coordinator@thinkb4uwink.com

The following excerpt is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site, www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Forming a coalition sounds easy, but proper planning and knowledge can avoid problems in the future. Following are some suggested steps to follow in putting together a coalition.

  1. Search your community

    Before starting a coalition, determine whether similar organizations are already in existence in your community. For instance, the community may consider itself a Safe Community whose members may be the same as those sought for the underage drinking prevention effort. There are also many other foundation-funded coalitions in communities across the nation whose issues may focus on a variety of health-related activities. While they may not deal specifically with underage drinking, they may likely have common messages and objectives.

    Ask yourself these questions before you proceed:
    • Should your coalition become part of an existing coalition?
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of becoming part of an existing group?
    • Should the coalition operate separately and coordinate information, programs and activities with existing organizations?

  2. Identify potential participants

    Ask three or four other individuals who are affiliated with the current organization or who are well connected in the community to participate in a brainstorming session. Consider inviting representatives from the target population to also participate. This session is designed to solicit names of individuals to contact. Who are the community’s key leaders? Who are the obvious stakeholders in the issue? Whose participation will be critical to the success of the effort? Are diverse populations of the community represented?

    Sometimes coalitions can attain visibility and recruit members more quickly if they have a powerful “champion.” The champion may be a judge, political leader, business person, civic leader or member of the faith community, but they should be someone who is well respected and able to generate support for the new entity.


  3. Invite people to join

    Draft a letter of invitation asking potential members to attend an organizing meeting. If you have recruited a champion, ask him or her to sign the letter. An elected official, a judge, the head of a government agency, the police chief, a prominent business person or some other prominent individual or group of individuals would be good choices. A personal invitation may be more beneficial for some of the more prominent individuals, rather than a letter. Assess what’s in it for them and use this in your recruitment message.

  4. Clarify expectations

    Develop a list of roles and responsibilities for coalition members. Include the number of times the group can expect to meet throughout the year, the time of the meetings, what is expected of the group, and what individuals may be expected to contribute. Decide what policies or criteria exist for membership.

  5. Do not assume everyone understands the underage drinking issue

    As underage drinking prevention programs expand and reach out to new partners, they will be contacting people unfamiliar with their issues. The task of the coordinators is to demonstrate how the potential members’ priorities and tasks intersect with those of the coalition. They must see “what’s in it for them” and how they can contribute to the coalition.

    To avoid confusion follow these simple rules:
    • Don’t use acronyms or jargon. Every profession has its own language. For instance, explain what NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) stands for and how the agency is relevant to the work the project is conducting.
    • Sponsor a “show and tell.” Once the coalition has been formed, spend the first meeting getting to know one another. Have each member of the coalition talk about their organizations, including the following:
      • What is the mission and goals of their organization?
      • How their organization is funded?
      • Who has the final say on policies and programs?
      • The type(s) of services or product(s) do they provide?
      • How their work can contribute to the overall mission of the coalition?
      • What they hope to gain from their participation?
    • Request that each member bring a sufficient number of materials/brochures about their organization to distribute to the entire coalition.
    • Require every coalition member to participate in the “show and tell” exercise, even when what their organizations do is obvious, such as the police department. The individuals representing a police department may wish to talk about the activities of their particular unit, for instance, or an underage drinking enforcement initiative they are implementing.
    • Honor each participant’s views and reasons for participating. A diverse group of people often results in a diverse set of expectations and goals. The purpose of a broad-based coalition is to reach agreement on the mission, goals and objectives. If there is an area of disagreement, where compromise is not possible, agree to disagree and move on.


  6. Develop a mission statement

    A mission statement expresses the shared vision of a diverse group of people seeking a common goal. The Community How To Guide on Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning provides strategies for crafting a strong mission statement and provides an example of a mission statement for an underage drinking prevention coalition.


  7. Define goals and objectives

    Once a coalition has determined its purpose through a mission statement, the next important task is to define goals and objectives. The Community How To Guide on Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning includes information on how coalitions can use information gained through a comprehensive needs assessment process to develop goals and objectives that are targeted directly at the problem.