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| Coalition Development: A Toolkit |
Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking: Though coalition development includes elements of art as well as science, successful coalitions exhibit some standard qualities: strong leadership, community commitment, a focused vision and mission. This section of the website provides guidance and tools for a range of campus community coalitions, from the new to the veteran, successful to struggling. Since the inception of the Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking in 1996, member colleges and universities have acquired tremendous levels of knowledge, experience and skill in coalition development and its relevance to campus communities. These pages feature some of the learning from those institutions and will evolve as the member institutions' experiences and knowledge evolves. Of course, campus community coalitions do not exist in a vacuum from other coalitions. Coalition development as a vehicle for alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse prevention has increased significantly in recent years, and that knowledge is incorporated here, as well. Drug-Free Action Alliance utilizes and refers to other expertise in the course of this content, specifically the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America. Their contributions provide the framework for much of the work of the Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking. Starting a Campus Community CoalitionDevelopment of a campus community coalition does not always follow a standard process. Still, the history of coalition development demonstrates that key steps in the start-up phase can have meaningful influence on the short- and long-term success of a coalition. The following pages provide guidance through five key steps of campus community coalition development and direct you to additional resources relevant to the steps. The Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking is founded on the concept of coalition and collaboration, both on the level of a specific college campus and within the Ohio College Initiative itself. We encourage you to reach out to the other project directors within the Ohio College Initiative to gain insight, suggestions, and wisdom from their experiences. The Ohio College Initiative to Reduce High Risk Drinking is coordinated by Drug-Free Action Alliance, which provides guidance, training, and technical assistance to the member institutions of the Ohio College Initiative. You may contact Drug-Free Action Alliance by phone at 614-540-9985 or by e-mail.
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