# Presentation: 337062

## GRANTS TO REDUCE ALCOHOL ABUSENATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE MEETINGSAN DIEGO, CAFEBRUARY 23, 2006BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

**MARIANNE MOON, MSW****DIRECTOR OF SAFE SCHOOLS****MISSOULA COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS**

## 	
		AS IS COMMONLY KNOWN, SCHOOLS ARE
NOTORIOUS FOR THEIR LACK OF ABILITY TO BE
FLEXIBLE AND RECEIVE OR INITIATE CHANGE.  THEY 
ARE WIDELY KNOWN FOR TRADITIONS, NORMS AND
MORES, DECADES IN THE MAKING, WHICH ARE “THE 
WAY WE DO THINGS”.  HOWEVER, CHANGE CAN BE
ACCOMPLISHED, AND THE VERY CULTURE OF THE 
SCHOOL CAN LIBERATE ITSELF FROM THE CHAINS
OF THE PAST, AND MOVE FORWARD TO NEW AND
EXCITING PROGRESS.

--Paul Reed, Jr., Project Success Counselor, Tazewell, Tennessee

- 		AS IS COMMONLY KNOWN, SCHOOLS ARE
- NOTORIOUS FOR THEIR LACK OF ABILITY TO BE
- FLEXIBLE AND RECEIVE OR INITIATE CHANGE.  THEY
- ARE WIDELY KNOWN FOR TRADITIONS, NORMS AND
- MORES, DECADES IN THE MAKING, WHICH ARE “THE
- WAY WE DO THINGS”.  HOWEVER, CHANGE CAN BE
- ACCOMPLISHED, AND THE VERY CULTURE OF THE
- SCHOOL CAN LIBERATE ITSELF FROM THE CHAINS
- OF THE PAST, AND MOVE FORWARD TO NEW AND
- EXCITING PROGRESS.
- --Paul Reed, Jr., Project Success Counselor, Tazewell, Tennessee

## MISSOULA, MONTANA‘THE LAST BEST PLACE’

**SECOND MOST POPULOUS COUNTY IN STATE OF MONTANA.**
**SCHOOL ENROLLMENT 8,800 STUDENTS, 3,819 SECONDARY STUDENTS.**
**GROWTH RATE OF 20% IN PAST DECADE.**
**51% MOBILITY RATE IN PAST FIVE YEARS.**
**PER CAPITAL INCOME 24% BELOW NATIONAL AVERAGE.**
**1 IN 4 CHILDREN LIVE IN POVERTY AND NEARLY HALF OF THEM LIVE IN DEEP POVERTY, THAT IS, OVER 50% OF POVERTY LEVEL.**
**SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF UNDERAGE DRINKING IN THE NATION.**
**LOCAL YOUTH IN GRADES 8 THROUGH 12 REPORT 30-DAY USE RATES THAT ARE 12-17% ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE**
**THE MAJORITY OF YOUTH WHO REPORT DRINKING ALCOHOL SOMETIME IN THE PAST MONTH ALSO REPORT BINGE DRINKING AT LEAST ONCE IN THE PAST 2 WEEKS.**
**20% OF LOCAL 8TH GRADERS REPORT BINGE DRINKING.**
**MISSOULA STUDENTS IN GRADE 10 LOCALLY ARE REPORTING 30-DAY DRINKING IN EXCESS OF STUDENTS IN GRADE 12 NATIONALLY.**
**STUDENT DRINKING DOUBLES BETWEEN GRADE 8 AND GRADE 10.**

## MONTANA IS STILL, SADLY, A STATE THAT
DOES NOT SEEM TO DESIRE TO CHANGE 
SOCIAL NORMS, PARTICULARLY ABOUT  
ALCOHOL, AND PARENTS ARE OFTEN IN  
DENIAL ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN’S 
SUBSTANCE USE OR THE EXTENT OF IT.

--Kevin Mays, Project Success Counselor, Missoula, MT

**DOES NOT SEEM TO DESIRE TO CHANGE **
**SOCIAL NORMS, PARTICULARLY ABOUT  **
**ALCOHOL, AND PARENTS ARE OFTEN IN  **
**DENIAL ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN’S **
**SUBSTANCE USE OR THE EXTENT OF IT.**
- --Kevin Mays, Project Success Counselor, Missoula, MT

## ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS

**WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?**
**HOW DO YOU GET THERE?**
**DO YOU HAVE PARENT SUPPORT?**
**DO YOU HAVE THE SUPPORT OF:**
**COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP**
**SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERSHIP**
**MEDIA**
**LAW ENFORCEMENT**
**JUSTICE**
**PREVENTION/EARLY-INTERVENTION SPECIALISTS**
**YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICE PROVIDERS**
**TREATMENT PROVIDERS**
**HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS**
**ALCOHOL RETAILERS**
**YOUTH & UNIVERSITY STUDENTS**
**ARE ROLE DEFINITIONS CLEARLY SPELLED OUT?**

## PROCEDURES IN MISSOULA 

**EARLY BUY IN FROM SCHOOL DISTRICT**
**CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES**
**SUPERVISION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCEDURES**
**MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNED BY ALL PARTIES**
**OTHER GROUND RULES**
**ALL PROGRAM STAFF TRAINED IN SCHOOL RULES**
**SCHOOL CULTURE**

## CRITICAL ROLE OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL IN LINKING COMMUNITY/SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

**Director of Safe Schools**
**Serves as community/school liaison**
**Develops relationships with school personnel & community agencies**
**Reviews the process**
**Trouble Shoots (Examples:  HIPPA vs. FERPA; Agency policies; School building space)**
**Sits on grant-writing team**
**Serves as Project Director for grant work**
**Assures conflicts are resolved**
**Has direct link with Superintendent and school administrators**
**Has monthly meetings with building principals**
**Meets monthly with agency staff**
**Serves on Oversite Committee for Missoula Forum for Children & Youth**

## LESSONS LEARNED

**TAKES TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS & TRUST**
**WILLINGNESS TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX**
**LEADERSHIP TO INSURE TASKS ARE ACCOMPLISHED**
**WE ALL HAVE TO “PLAY IN THE SAND BOX”**
**RESPECT IS THE KEY**
**ARE WE DOING WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR KIDS?**
**TRAININGS AND EXPLANATION OF RULES HAVE TO BE DONE REPEATEDLY.**
**ALL COMMUNITY NONPROFITS INVITED TO THE DISCUSSION TABLE**
**INFRASTRUCTURE IS IN PLACE WHEN MONEY IS AVAILABLE—THIS ALSO ENCOURAGES “LOOKING” FOR FUNDING OPTIONS.**
**STAFF MEMBERS HAVE TO SOMETIMES SEE THAT THINGS WORK.  THIS CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH ACTUALLY DOING IT.**
**EVALUATION IS IMPERATIVE FOR FIDELITY**
**REVIEW THE PROCESS AND “DO” THE PROCESS**
**HAVE SOME FUN!!!**

## 	WESTERN CAPT Resources:   They have 
developed a Sustainability Planning Model: 
Infrastructure Capacity-Building as well as 
a coalition Member Survey.  They used 
Johnson, Hayes & Daley (2004) “Building 
capacity and sustainability prevention 
innovations” in adapting their organizational 
chart. The survey was adapted from 
Community Tool Box http://ctb.isi.ukans.edu.

**developed a Sustainability Planning Model: **
**Infrastructure Capacity-Building as well as **
**a coalition Member Survey.  They used **
**Johnson, Hayes & Daley (2004) “Building **
**capacity and sustainability prevention **
**innovations” in adapting their organizational **
**chart. The survey was adapted from **
**Community Tool Box http://ctb.isi.ukans.edu.**