Monthly YAC Meeting
Strategic Planning Process
Both the Youth Advisory Council (YAC) and HC3 Coalition members use the SPF (Strategic Prevention Framework) during their planning process. This helps members to dig deep into local data (such as the Fulton County Health Status Report) to build a better understanding of their community concerns and what may be causing these to occur.
Using the 5 steps and 2 guiding principals of the SPF, described below, each group works to select their topic of focus (typically related to youth substance use or mental health) that is supported by the data and identified by the community members as an issue that can be improved. Each group completes activities to work through the planning steps and align potential strategies with the issue and why it occurring here in Fulton County.
The goal is to create and implement a community level project aimed to build positive lasting change.
2 Guiding Principals of the SPF
Cultural Competence
To overcome systemic barriers that may contribute to disparities, planners must be culturally competent. They must recognize and value cultural differences—such as those in the health beliefs, practices, and language. They must develop and deliver prevention programs and practices in ways that ensure members of diverse cultural groups benefit from their efforts.
SAMHSA has identified the following cultural competence principles for prevention planners:
- Include the target population in all aspects of prevention planning
- Use a population-based definition of community (i.e., let the community define itself)
- Stress the importance of relevant, culturally appropriate prevention approaches
- Employ culturally competent evaluators
- Promote cultural competence among program staff, reflecting the communities they serve
Cultural competence is one of the SPF’s two guiding principles and, as such, should be integrated into each step of the implementation. By considering culture at each step, planners can help to ensure that members of diverse population groups can actively participate in, feel comfortable with, and benefit from prevention practices.
Sustainability
Sustainability is the second of the SPF's two guiding principles and should be considered during every step of the process, including the sustainability of your cultural competency focus continually.
There are a number of reasons why it is important to sustain an effective strategic planning process. These include:
- Prevention takes time. While communities are likely to achieve some short-term outcomes initially, it can take many years to produce long-term results. When practitioners help the SPF process live on over time, communities are much more likely to make a significant and lasting impact on their problem of focus.
- Problems and priorities change. Prevention needs and capacity are always evolving with new issues arising that no one can anticipate right now. With a well-established strategic planning process like the SPF already in place, communities will be able to recognize—and respond effectively to—these important changes over time.
- Successful implementation of the SPF depends on collaboration. The SPF is widely recognized by many public health funders and practitioners. Adherence to a common planning process can help planners establish a shared language across health issues and build the interdisciplinary partnerships needed to make a difference.
5 Steps of the SPF Process
ASSESSMENT
Define our problem of focus
- Look at data - both quantitative and qualitative
- Need to reach group consensus (agreement) to encourage engagement of all members
- Look at intervening variables (ask, why is this happening here?)
Capacity Building
Who is at the table? What/who is missing?
- Determine what data we were missing and how we might get that missing information
- Who do we need to engage to help or support us?
- Determine needed resources, including financial resources
Planning
What should we do?
- Use data and evidence-based strategies to move our ideas into an action plan.
Data driven decisions
Data is considered during every step of the strategic process
- Assessment - data is used to determine a problem of focus
- Building capacity - determined missing data and how to best obtain any needed data
- Planning - determine the best strategy to reach target audience and create the desired change
- Implementation - tracking who we have reached through social media, theatre ad exposure, event attendance, and other means.
- Evaluation - use data to determine how effective the campaign was; did we reach our goals?
Evidence-based strategies
1. Providing Information
2. Enhancing Skills
3. Providing Support
4. Enhancing Access/Reducing Barriers
5. Changing Consequences
6. Changing Physical Design
7. Modifying/Changing/Developing Policies
To learn more about the SPF and Seven Strategies for Creating Effective Community Change, click here.
Implementation
During this step the HC3 Coalition or Youth Advisory Council puts their plan into action!
Evaluation
Outcome Goals:
If you don't evaluate, how would you know if the project was successful?
It is important to evaluate whether short-term and long-term outcome goals were met, and
make any changes or adjustments that might be needed to improve the project.
Theory of Change
How will change occur?
Example below based on the Talk2Me media campaign:
- IF YAC develops a media campaign, featuring a youth created PSA, to encourage parents to send strong and clear messages against underage drinking THEN we expect to see an increase in youth perceptions of parental disapproval of underage drinking.
- IF we see an increase in youth perceptions of parental disapproval of underage drinking, THEN we expect to see a decrease in the number of Fulton County youth, grades 9 – 12, drinking alcohol.
