Introductory Comments
Day 1 | Day 2
Day 4

Introductory Comments

Hi. My name is Connie Constantine, Senior Curriculum Design Specialist for the National Training Center for Middle School Drug Prevention and School Safety Coordinators. It is my pleasure to welcome you to this online event.

We know that good planning is key to the success of your prevention initiative. This 5-day event will look at the first critical steps involved in developing a comprehensive prevention plan. Materials will incluce tips and tools for translating community data into prevention priorities and long-term outcome statements, and an introduction to eight research-based strategies that will help you to achieve your outcomes.

It has been wonderful getting to know many of you through our online discussions. Active participation is critical to the success of this and all online events. So again, welcome. I hope that this event proves to be an enjoyable and beneficial experience.

Day 1

A collaborative planning process can help you rally support for your initiative. It can also alert you to people or circumstances that might impede your progress or compromise your program's success. After your first few meetings, take a look at your sign in sheet. Note who is there and who is missing, and consider possible reasons why. For example, you may want to find out why your assistant supertintedent never showed up. Was it benign neglect, or will his lack of interest eventually undermine your prevention initiative? We will discuss the importance of administrative support, as well as other critical factors related to program implementation, in the upcoming online event Implementing Research-Based Programs with Fidelity.

Day 2

Before your first planning meeting, make a list of the participants who will attend, then brainstorm key concerns they may have or areas of interest that you will need to consider. Also distribute a proposed agenda and two or three meeting objectives so that participants have a sense of how you plan to structure the time and what you would like to accomplish.

Day 4

Remember: You don't have to do everything at once! True, your program is most likely to be successful if you target multiple audiences and offer a set of coordinated and complementary strategies that focus on clearly defined outcomes. Yet trying to do too much can lead to failure. Envision a comprehensive approach, but begin with small steps -- such as effectively putting one strategy or program into place.