Community Coalitions to Prevent Adolescent Substance Abuse

Abstract

Substance abuse among adolescents continues to drain communities in the United States in'terms of financial resources and human potential. Community coalitions or collaborative partnerships are a prominent strategy for preventing substance use and abuse since they engage multiple sectors of the community such as schools, churches, businesses, and law enforcement. Community coalitions serve as catalysts for change, attempting to change programs, policies, and practices in all relevant sectors. In this manuscript, we describe the multi-site replication of a nationally recognized substance abuse prevention coalition, Project Freedom. First, the original community coalition and the model upon which the replication initiative was designed are described. Second, the context and collaborators, replication sites, and technical assistance and evaluation components are described. Third, data on intermediate outcomeschanges in community programs, policies, and practices facilitated by one illustrative coalition are provided. Lastly, the key factors and challenges in supporting community-wide coalitions for the prevention of adolescent substance abuse are discussed.