Community Tool Box Overview & Creating and Maintaining Partnerships Dialogue Nicole C. Keene University of Kansas 2008 Health Literacy Conference

KU Work Group for Community Health & Development Mission: Enhance community health and development globally through networking, capacity development, and collaborative research Team Projects

Health Literacy & the Community Tool Box Defined: The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (Ratzan and Parker, 2000) Community Tool Box – Building capacity of individuals and communities – A free information resource – Facilitates communication on multiple levels

Context and Collaborative Partners in Learning Since 1990, the KU Work Group has used a common measurement system with over 30 community-led change and improvement efforts Focus on intermediate outcome—community and systems change – population-level outcomes often too delayed to be useful in making adjustments

KU Work Group Working Hypothesis Community Change (Intermediate Outcome) Population-Level Outcomes (Longer-Term Outcomes) –Programs –Policies –Practices Some examples include: –Risk/Protective Factors –30-Day Use Outcomes –is there an example outcome related to health-literacy we could use? When Sufficient: -Goal-Strategy-Duration -Penetration (reach) Targets (via) Sectors (in) Places

Building Capacity through the Community Tool Box (CTB) Mission of CTB Promoting community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources Freely available Internet-based resource Started in 1994 — writing one section at a time Comprehensive Over 7,000 pages of how-to information for bringing about community change and improvement (e.g., planning, evaluation) Other capabilities: Customized WorkStations for documenting and evaluating efforts, analyzing the contribution, and making adjustments

Some Components of the CTB Best Processes for the work Tools to support the work Problem Solving Collaboration

Some Valued Functions and Existing Features of the CTB Learn a skill — 300 CTB how-to sections Do the work — Toolkits for 16 core competencies Solve a problem — Troubleshooting guide Use promising approaches — Explore best processes and practices Connect with others — Ask an advisor and links to related websites Document and evaluate initiatives — (optional) Online Documentation and Support System

1.Creating and maintaining coalitions and partnerships 2.Assessing community needs and resources 3.Analyzing problems & goals 4.Developing a framework or model for change 5.Developing strategic and action plans 6.Building leadership 7.Developing an intervention 8.Increasing participation and membership 9.Enhancing cultural competence 10.Advocating for change 11.Influencing policy development 12.Evaluating the initiative 13.Implementing a social marketing effort 14.Writing a grant application for funding 15.Improving organizational management and development 16.Sustaining the work or initiative 16 Core Competencies

CTB Curriculum 16 Module Curriculum aligned with core competencies in community work (e.g., assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation) Each Module includes: –Participant ’ s Guides and experiential activities –Facilitator ’ s Guide and PowerPoint presentation –A competence assessment that requires developing a plan related to a particular skill (such as a strategic plan or evaluation plan) The Community Tool Box serves as an ongoing resource during and after the training

Global Community of Practice— Some illustrative users of the CTB Community organizer and village pastor Sumatra Island, Metro, Indonesia Regional Prevention Centers Statewide Kansas, United States Trainer and community development worker Birmingham, Great Britain (U.K.) Head Start educator Crowley, Louisiana, United States Master ’ s in Public Health Student at Emory University Atlanta, Georgia, United States / Kenya, Africa Leadership trainer for local organizations Caracas, Venezuela Instructor and researcher at the University of Balamand Balamand, Lebanon

Marked growth—What is the usage of the CTB?

What are CTB users saying? “CTB proved over and over again that it is a great resource for both teaching and conducting community-based programs. I refer my students to CTB as the first choice for resources relevant to our work. -Ghazi Kayali, Balamand, Lebanon “It is really a very helpful site for those who want to contribute in the development of community and society. Very good guidelines for people like me working in this field, particularly in Pakistan where there is no such training…a great job, continue serving humanity with your good ideas.” -Syed Abid Gilani, Islamabad, Pakistan “I like your web page because it gives really helpful hints on real activities that can be done at the community level.” -Dr. Jamilah Hashim Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Capacity Development: Addressing Health Literacy Local and global access to training in skills for promoting community health and development (e.g., translated and adapted curriculum) Global constellation of online tools for building capacity (e.g., in local languages) Regional access to technical assistance in implementing development efforts

Other CTB Features— Customized Workstations Integrated Online Supports for: o Building capacity (e.g., tailored links to tools) o Documentation and participatory evaluation (e.g., recording accomplishments, graphing, analyzing the contribution) o Co-learning within and across initiatives (e.g., shared sense making, reporting to different audiences)

Online Documentation and Support System Components Features – Track work over time – Produce reports and graphs – Enhances the success of community work

Health for All Partnership Community and System Changes

Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships Community Tool Box Toolkit  Toolkit—Developing a plan with core tasks

Working Together for Community Change Community Capacity- – Ability of members to bring about change and improvement—over time and across different issues

Working Together for Community Change Community/Systems Change- – New or modified programs, policies and practices brought about by the group and related to its purpose.

Working Together for Community Change The Nature of Community Work: – Larger than any one person or organization – Dynamic and adaptive – Problems and goals are inter-related – Self-determination – Involves working together on things that matter

Determining the conditions for starting a coalition or partnership Why start a coalition? – To address an urgent situation – To empower the community – To obtain or provide services – To increase efficiency and effectiveness – To combine resources – To increase communication – To plan community-wide efforts – To develop political clout – To create long-term, permanent social change

Creating a Coalition or Collaborative Partnership Establishing a Coalition 1.Assemble the coalition’s membership 2.Briefly outline a vision and mission for the group 3.State the objectives, needed resources/ relationships, and key agents of change

Creating a Coalition or Collaborative Partnership Establishing a Coalition Cont. 4.Describe potential barriers or opposition 5.Describe the probable structure your collaborative partnership will take as an organization

Creating a Coalition or Collaborative Partnership Some guidelines: – Communicate! – Be inclusive and participatory – Network – Set concrete, reachable goals – Be creative about meetings – Be realistic about what you can do – Acknowledge diversity among your members, their ideas and their beliefs – Praise and reward outstanding contributions, – Celebrate your success!

Working Together for Community Change Some Factors Affecting Success – Clear Vision and Mission – Action Planning – Leadership – Resources for Community Change Agents – Documentation and Feedback – Technical Assistance – Making Outcomes Matter

Online Tour New WorkStations – Online Documentation and Support System Community Tool Box

Health Literacy & the Community Tool Box Multiple factors contribute to health literacy (e.g., personal and environmental factors) Complex problem Requires a coalition/partnership collaborative approach to solve the problem There is a need to improve coalition functioning and a scarcity of studies related to their functioning CTB provides that support (e.g., factors that affect coalition functioning and the production of changes related to literacy)

Contact Information Steve Fawcett, KU Workgroup Director Jerry Schultz, Co-Director Christina Holt, Director of Training and Technical support, Nikki Keene, Graduate Research Assistant,

Creating and Maintaining Coalitions and Partnerships For more information or inquiries about the Tool Box, the CTB Curriculum, please or call (866) Best wishes to you in your collaborative work!