Implementing a process analysis in dynamic community settings pose considerable challenges for program evaluators. Diversity is a major key to collaborative success. However, in multicultural settings such as Salinas a variety of interests and tensions between individuals and/or member organizations can significantly hamper the efforts of collaboration. The early identification of these issues and the creation of opportunities for critical examination and training are useful to proactively address potential problems. Further, the inclusion of community input and feedback, including youth involvement, should strengthen program legitimacy and integrity. How those processes of inclusion develop and their impact on community leaders and outcomes are important learning objectives that could have significance beyond the City of Salinas. The role of the Prevention Institute (PI) is to assist in the general evaluation of Salinas Safe Schools/ Healthy Students initiative by evaluating selected aspects of the Leadership Council and providing feedback that supports the Leadership Council’s goals. The goals of the evaluation of the collaborative are two-fold: a) To document the evolution of the impact of the Leadership Council on the collaborative over the course of the initiative. b) To provide continuous feedback to the leadership council and project staff regarding the way the leadership council itself is having an impact on the safe school and healthy student collaborative. See www.preventioninstitute.org
Learning Objectives: Participants will gain an understanding of the following issues: a) How to conduct community based participatory research in a multi-ethnic community. b) How to integrate policy development and project implementation in a complex setting c) How to manage a collaboration that involves interdepartmental cooperation while also including community and youth participation
Keywords: Community Research, Violence Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.