Clarify Assumptions | Write Mission Statement | Share Vision

Now, we turn to thinking about which prevention approaches, or combination of approaches, will most effectively help you achieve your stated goals. Before jumping in and "giving one a try," we suggest that you consider all that you have learned from the prevention literature and think carefully about which strategies are most likely to "fit" within your unique environment. The better the fit, the more success you will have.

This section describes two important steps involved in determining fit: clarifying program assumptions to identify suitable prevention strategies and writing a mission statement.

• Clarifying Program Assumptions to Identify Strategies

Program assumptions are educated guesses about what it will take for you to achieve your long-term outcomes. These underlying assumptions about effective prevention approaches will influence your programmatic efforts, which will, in turn, affect your outcomes. For example, if many students in your school report that they regularly use marijuana, you will need to identify a strategy or combination of strategies that focus on decreasing the availability and use of illegal substances in your school. Thus, one assumption might be that blending refusal skills training with clear school policies to deter substance use will help you achieve these outcomes. Another assumption might be that providing ongoing professional development for faculty and staff to support these school policies will also move you closer to achieving these outcomes.

As you begin to develop a set of program assumptions that are compatible with your stated goals, consider these questions (some of which you may already have explored when developing your long-term outcome statement) :

• Which influences do you want to affect or change?

• To which risk factors are the problems you've identified and prioritized most closely related? (e.g., favorable parental attitudes towards alcohol use, lack of commitment to school)?

• Whom do you want to target (e.g., youth at risk for substance use and/or violence; community policy- and decision-makers)?

• Where do you want to focus your efforts? (e.g., in the school, at a specific grade level, in a specific classroom)

• When do you want to offer your program components (e.g., on-going, for a limited time, in booster sessions)?

• What do you want to do to meet your outcome(s)(e.g., skills-based education for all students; enforcement of community policies to limit drug availability)?

• How well does your effort lend itself to evaluation (e.g., available baseline data, access to participants over time, simple program design)?

Click here for some tips that can help your planning team clarify assumptions.

It is also important to consider school and community variables that might influence program acceptance and/or implementation. For example:

• What are your school and community already doing to meet your long-term outcomes? On Day 3, you began mapping prevention strategies and policies currently in place in your school. With your team, explore how well they are -- or are not -- working, and brainstorm the reasons why. Then make a list of other strategies being used throughout the community. Rather than duplicate existing efforts, consider how you might complement or collaborate with some or all of these efforts to meet your expected long-term outcomes.

• Do you have the resources to support your proposed activities? Do you have appropriately skilled staff? Personnel or funding to train prospective staff? Resources for office space and equipment? Access to materials? Different programs require differing levels of resources; failure to provide adequate resources will likely jeopardize the achievement of positive outcomes and the ultimate sustainability of your initiative.

As you guide your team through a critical examination of these questions, viable options will begin to emerge. As the discussion evolves, the team will be able to narrow the possibilities and make a decision.

Feeling overwhelmed? Click the icon for a reminder about the benefits of starting small. (Click here to read these comments.)

• Writing Your Mission Statement

By this point, you and your community partners have invested significant time and energy into the prevention planning process. You have assessed community needs, established priorities based on the information you collected, translated your priorities into long-term outcome statements, and identified strategies that will help you achieve your anticipated outcomes. Congratulations -- this is quite an accomplishment!

Having come this far, you are ready to develop your statement of purpose, or mission statement. A mission statement is a short narrative that describes what you are doing and why. It is meant to describe the intent of your initiative, as well as the philosophy behind it.

Click here for a tool designed to help you pair your long-term outcome statements with your program assumptions.

A mission statement can also be used to briefly and clearly communicate what your initiative is all about. Remember the importance of keeping the school and community informed of your progress and any new developments. Many people will be very interested in your plans for prevention activities, and their ongoing support and involvement will be extremely valuable resources.

Click here for some things to remember when sharing your prevention vision with your school and community.

References

The materials in this section have been adapted from Chapter 3 of your training manual, "Key School-linked Strategies and Principles for Preventing Substance Abuse and Violence." Please visit the manual for a complete set of references.