Prior to the advent of comprehensive, community-based initiatives like the Community Prevention Grants Program, community planning and service delivery often reflected the perspective of a select few—usually those involved in service delivery. In addition, child welfare, mental health, and substance abuse agency administrators, as well as school superintendents and local government personnel, often made planning and service decisions based on the perceived needs of a narrowly defined population. The result of this type of planning— fragmented, inappropriate, and inaccessible social services and supports—has been at the least inefficient and at the most devastating for individuals, families, and communities.
By requiring a multi-disciplinary planning board, the Community Prevention Grants Program seeks to break old patterns of planning and decision-making. The Program's emphasis on open communication and a broad community perspective fosters development of common goals and common ground across individuals, agencies, and organizations, and inspires collaborative solutions to shared community problems. In many communities implementing the Community Prevention Grants Program, this is just what is happening.
Parent and youth involvement have been instrumental in bridging long-standing gaps between parents and youth, and service professionals. In Buena Vista, Colorado, youth involvement has helped to "unite" youth and adults. Having youth involved in the board has helped adult members gain a new understanding of what youth in the community want and need in terms of services and programs. Similarly, youth have learned about the often difficult and lengthy process involved in creating community change. Having come to a mutual understanding, youth and adults have been able to put aside their different perspectives and work together to create community change.
"Having youth involved [in the PPB] has united youth and adults in the community. It's been a very positive experience"
— Julie McMurry, Title V Coordinator,
Buena Vista, Colorado
Ravelli County, Montana also has experienced the value of youth involvement. In requesting youth input on the development of a local teen center, the PPB discovered that what adults and professionals often think youth need, is not always what youth themselves think they need. Working collaboratively, youth and fellow board members compromised to develop a proposal that reflected various aspects of each viewpoint and, therefore, included programs and services that appeal to youth yet still meet identified needs. Youth involvement also has helped to change the negative image of teenagers held by some community members. By teaching youth to effectively work within their community and then providing them with opportunities to do so, the PPB has helped the community discover ways that youth can be involved in promoting positive community development and change.
Parents are also making a new and significant contribution to the collective community perspective. Through their involvement in the PPB, parents have forced service providers to rethink stereotypes and in doing so, have helped forge a united front between themselves and local service professionals. In Montague, Massachusetts, parent involvement helped eliminate the "us vs. them" mind-set that often characterizes service providers' attitudes towards clients and parents. Providing parents an opportunity to sit at the same table with service providers has given them voice in a forum where their concerns can be heard and factored into the community planning process. Most important is the lasting impact this type of collaboration has on board members' view of parents in the community. PPB members have been able to realize that these parents are often struggling with the same kinds of issues they themselves struggle with, such as the difficulties of raising teenage children.
Non-traditional players are not just bringing to the table their own perspective but, in some situations, are representing the culture and values of an entire group of people—groups often left out of community planning and events because of cultural misunderstanding and language barriers. In Marshall County, Iowa, clergy from the local, predominantly Hispanic church have educated PPB members on Hispanic culture and values, even explaining for them high rates of school absenteeism on Hispanic holidays, previously unknown to board members. Hispanic representation brought the needs of this group to the attention of the PPB, needs now being addressed, in part, by Marshall County's Title V initiative.
"It has been invaluable, really important, to have someone represent the Hispanic population [on the PPB] so we can begin to help them feel like they belong to this community too. Everyone needs to feel like a valued citizen"
— Liz Zuercher, Title V Coordinator,
Marshall County, Iowa
The success of a collaborative process requires building a common sense of purpose and understanding among different community sectors that have focused in the past more on their differences than on their commonalities. Individuals, organizations, agencies, and service providers are often not accustomed to working together, and in many situations are unfamiliar with other service-providing agencies in their same catchment area. Bringing to the table traditional and non-traditional players facilitates a common understanding of the goals and guidelines of local agencies and community systems, further broadening the community's collective perspective. This, in turn, can help dissipate lingering turf issues, and promote a common mission, one that considers and benefits all members and their respective agencies, organizations, and groups.
In one Montana town, for example, the community had a reputation for blaming the juvenile justice system anytime a negative incident involving a youth occurred in the community. Some community members felt negative incidents reflected an ineffective juvenile court system. Having probation, the public defender, and the juvenile court judges on the PPB has helped channel into the community important information about the juvenile justice system, and how it operates. Now, if an incident occurs, such as a youth bringing a gun to school, the community understands how the juvenile court system operates, and feels confident that the courts will follow through. As a result, they are less likely to place blame. This kind of information sharing helps to facilitate a shared community perspective, and enhance collaborative relationships.
"I believe that if a person is made to feel that they are a resource, that helps to build a more productive, creative and effective relationship. Communities that Care... is about... sharing information and people's skills to create a greater overall whole. The whole community is greater than the sum of its parts"
— Lou Jaureguiberry, Title V Coordinator,
Las Vegas, New Mexico,
as quoted in the November 10, 1999
Hermit's Peak Gazette.