That must be a very interesting workshop series, and we hope this will help you in planning. Take a look at our Table of Contents, Section D, Chapter 12. Click on Providing Training and Technical Assistance and on Section 4: Conducting a Workshop. That section will give you a strong outline about processes for planning and carrying out a workshop. Thanks for asking, and we hope this is helpful to you.
I regret that we cannot provide you with direct help to locate a Spanish speaking researcher, because we do not keep lists of individuals in this database. You might take a look under "Connect With Others" and click on the "Links to Other Online Resources." By contacting some of those that look relevant to your search, you might get leads to individuals. I noticed, for instance that there is a link to a "CBPR" listserv where you might post your inquiry. Thanks for asking, and we hope your search is successful.
Welcome! We invite you to use any of the resources available through CTB, and to ask specific questions as the needs arise. We hope that all people involved in community development know that we support your efforts and will assist with information whenever we can.
CTB does not have a database of grant information. Sorry, but we cannot help with your specific query.
If you mean how to credit the CTB in general, then you could simply state the name of our site and its web address. (At the end of each Tool Box section, there is the tag line, "We encourage the reproduction of this material, but ask that you credit the Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/." ) * But if you mean how to credit the CTB in a reference list for a school paper, then it would probably be: "Community Tool Box. [Then, cite chapter number, section number, and title of section in the CTB Table of Contents] Retrieved from [then cite the URL of the section]." This basically follows the style of the APA Publication Manual, which you could consult for further details. An alternative would be to cite the author listed in the section first, followed by section title, chapter number, section number, and "retrieved from" followed by the section URL. We think one of these forms might satisfy your instructor, but ask your instructor which form of citation is preferred. We hope this is helpful. Thanks for using CTB!
We did a simple google search on the name "Communities of Excellence". The search results indicate that there are a handful of programs and planning models with this name. You may want to start there so that you can accurately pin point which program or model best meets your needs. I would also encourage you to review some of the tools and resources in the CTB. Specifically Section D - Developing a Strategic Plan, Organizational Structure, and Training System (Chapters 8-12). Thank you for contacting Ask an Advisor and best of luck!
When conducting your focus group be sure to attend to the cultural dynamics of your target audience. A simple google search may result in resources that will guide you in this area. In terms of idntification of an instrument, we were able to find several that are free or no cost that may be appropriate for your use. Go to http://www.toolfind.org/ to search their database of available insturments. You may also want to check out the SAMHSA website to see if there are instruments there that would be helpful. Specifically, there may be questions on the YRBS that might be relevant. https://preventionplatform.samhsa.gov/Macro/CSAP/dss_portal/Templates_re... Best of luck.
You might start by considering the concept of "sense of community." Sense of community is the belief that one's needs will be met by being part of a group. Members feel a sense of belonging, that their opinion is important and a strong connection to the group. This concept is well defined in a paper by D. W. McMillan and D. Chavis (Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory, American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 1, 6-23. Once you understand the concept you might be able to identify a variety of group activities that strengthen such feelings.
Developing letters and other communication devices is a difficult task. Part C (Chapters 6 and 7) of the "Toolbox" address a variety of techniques for promoting interest and participation in community initiatives. I often refer to Don Dillman's "Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method" (1978) to write letters soliciting participation in various community based activities. Dillman's book refers specifically to increasing response rates for surveys but the techniques he describes have application to any effort where the intent is to encourage participation.
The questions you pose here require more detail explanation and perhaps training/profesional development. Any overview response that we would give you would not adequately meet your needs. Therefore, we recommend that you start with reviewing all the tools available in the community tool box. I think you will find many that may be of some assistance and meet your immediate needs. For the longer term, however, we suggest that you connect with an evaluation expert in your area. This could possbily be someone from a local agency or university. This person could then help you narrow your focus so that you can appropriately define program outcomes and develop an evaluation plan. Best of luck. NOTE: Because of a glitch, the response to your question did not get published. We publish it now with our apology for the delay.
Managing a community building initiative is a huge undertaking and we understand your need to feel organized and on top of the details. You might want to begin by just organizing your tasks by project. To do lists are easier to manage if they are organized that way, and it will help you logically think through the things that need to get done for that task. Also, I might suggest that you google project software. I know microsoft has a project management software that might be helpful to you once you learn how to navigate the program. Project software would be a great way to list and track your tasks. Best of luck.
There are actually many resources that may be useful to you. The "Toolbox" provides several tools that may assist groups whether they are coalitions or coalitions of coalitions. For example, the Toolbox sections about agenda setting (Part B-Chapters 3-5) and promoting interest and participation (Part C-Chapters 6 and 7) may be particularly helpful. Some other resources that you might find useful include "Evaluating Collaboratives" (University of Wisconsin Extension, 1998), "The Collaboration Primer" (Health Research and Educational Trust, 2002) and a special issue of the American Journal of Community Psychology (Vol. 29, No. 2, 2001). These resources provide considerable detail about the collaborative process and include many useful tools.
It seems that the foundation of your question goes to a community social marketing campaign. You have clearly identified areas where you would like to target your message, intervention, and/or marketing efforts. The Community Toolbox would be a great place for you to start. They have a range of resources that would be helpful to you. The link to go directly to those resource is http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/chapter_1045.htm Best of luck.
There are many good resources that you might find useful regarding evaluation of health education materials. The sections of the "Toolbox" (Section J) dealing with evaluation provide a good summary of the evaluation process and various tools that might have application. I often refer to Thomas Valente's Evaluating Health Promotion Programs (2002). This is a detailed treatment of the process of evaluating health promotion programs but is very readable.
If social care refers to direct service delivery, we believe there are considerable implications. Community development might provide an alternative or at the very least an adjunct to direct service delivery. Community development approaches typically encompass efforts to change environments, community norms and/or power relationships that might ultimately benefit individuals. Part A of the Toolbox may provide some good background information. In addition, there are numerous books and journals that provide good summaries. One that we refer to often is Strategies of Community Organization which is edited by Fred Cox, John Erlich, Jack Rothman and John Tropman.
There are probably many individuals in your community who have experience writing grants. There are also many training opportunities available to individuals who would like to develop such skills. The Toolbox provides an overview of procedures that are quite useful in developing grant applications (see Part L, Chapters 42-44). We suggest that you review a good grant writing resource and then interview several individuals in order to find a qualified person.
We are not aware of specific scholarship opportunities independent of programs that offer community health training. We suggest that you identify a program that offers coursework consistent with your interests and contact the financial aid office. Best of luck.
To begin with, I think Nevada is very lucky that you are on the scene! What you describe certainly sounds like is a difficult situation, and it's good to acknowledge that squarely. However, there are positive things that can be done, keeping in mind that this will be a gradual process that will take some time. But with skill and tenacity you can accomplish a lot. A good initial step is to talk to the two or three people you mention who care about moving the collation forward. They will be your sources of support, and are also likely to have ideas. Ask yourselves together: What are the best steps we can take together at this time? - steps that will generate a sense of forward momentum, that are feasible to accomplish in a relatively short time, and that will take only a modest amount of time and energy? This may take some discussion. But when you have agreed upon some small actions - your beginning game plan - then you might selectively contact some of the others who were previous coalition members, or who could be new coalition members. You can openly acknowledge that the coalition has been stalled for the past year or two (certainly not through any fault of yours!), but now you are regrouping. What do they think, given the remaining need out there? What ideas might they have for moving ahead? Listen carefully; record their suggestions. After talking to a sufficient number of people, you can expand and refine your game plan, and gradually begin to move ahead with more people on board, each of whom might take on a small piece of work. As you mention, it's also important to be aware of the local economy and the natural reluctance of employers to allow much release time for coalition work. That is understandable. So it will help to respect those feelings and keep your requests modest, although you can also mention how the work of the coalition can (hopefully) benefit the employer as well. Given the size of Nevada, you will naturally want to do much of your coalition work via e-mail and/or monthly conference call (I'm part of these myself), or possibly Skype. You could also get a free Google Docs or wiki site to exchange ideas electronically. As a local tech-savvy person about this if you need more details. With thoughtful planning, some initial core group support, and (not to underestimate these) desire and persistence, you can make some good things happen. I hope you will. Making some inroads on the larger problem of cancer will make it worth your effort. Thank you for writing us at the Community Tool Box, and all best wishes for success.
We're sorry to hear about the situation you describe. While we might wish it were otherwise, a full answer to your question is really outside of our scope, for we are not lawyers and cannot offer what may come close to legal advice. But we can offer a few informal comments. Assuming the that the allegations against you are not true, you could politely but firmly write to the organization, copying all members, specifically denying the allegations and asking for a written retraction. You might also respectfully suggest alternative policies and procedures for dealing with personnel disputes should they arise in the future, since neither you nor presumably others want to see this type of situation happen again. You also do have the option of seeking legal advice where you live, and being guided by it. We are not certain if you have legal recourse. In a very extreme situation, you would also have the option of communicating the situation to other domestic violence providers in your area. However, this does have the possible downside of negatively impacting local domestic violence services in general, and one would want to be very cautious about embarking on such action. We hope some of this may be might be helpful, although we must reiterate that it should not be considered as legal advice. Thanks for writing us at the Community Tool Box. All best wishes for a successful resolution. _____________________
Many types of employment are available for someone with an MA in community psychology. For example, in my own graduate program, a free-standing community psychology Master's program, our graduates have assumed positions such as: * Grant-writer for a local police department (upwards of $5 million in federal grants) * Director of an affordable housing agency * Director of community relations for an anti-poverty agency * Human Resources Director at a large regional corporation * Coordinator of a local YouthBuild chapter * Research Director for a substance abuse consulting firm * Director of Development for a community hospital * Neighborhood outreach worker and program developer * Health clinic manager * Head of one's own consulting firm * Executive coach and leadership consultant * Fund-raiser for a local public school system * Community Liaison to a local police department * Outreach Director for a local area agency on aging * Director of church-based youth programs * Family Support Coordinator at a local housing project * Directors of agencies serving recent immigrants (e.g., African Assistance Center, Massachusetts Association of Portuguese Speakers) This is a very partial list, just off the top, and does not include academic or university-affiliated positions. These graduates may not have the formal title of "community psychologist," but: * They are practicing community psychology. * They are fully engaged in community practice. * They and their community are benefiting from the community psychology skills we have taught them. * They are employed. (Our track record in placing graduates has been noteworthy in both good economic times and bad.) * They are doing distinctive, and often distinguished, local community practice. We will also share your note with other colleagues in case they have anything to add. So we think there is good reason for optimism. Thank you for writing to us at the Community Tool Box, and all best wishes for success!
An excellent guide to get you started is the Community Tool Box itself! Look at the Table of Contents to give yourself an overview of the material you can find inside. Or click on some of the other home page tabs to explore other aspects and capabilities of the site. We hope this will lead you to what you are looking for thanks for writing to us at the Community Tool Box, and best wishes for success.
They should send out an agenda in advance of the meeting. Confirm the partners have internet access and test it. It is free for the people to join it, but there is a fee for you to host it. "Go to meeting" has a voice feature; however, if using a different program be sure to have voice capabilities such as a conference phone.
Many of the requirements of the grant are listed in the application. We encourage you to have a memorandum of understanding available for this process.
It appears that you are asking a number of questions that need clarification.
You may wish to consider contacting the Applied Behavioral Science program at the University of Kansas. A number of researchers in that department work on public health types of issues including health disparities research.
We suggest you contact Iowa Coalition against domestic. www.icadv.org. Also make contact with other domestic violence groups in your area. You might also consider starting a domestic violence support group or joining a domestic violence support group in your area to share your story. We encourage you to get your children involved as well to share their stories.
Please check out the Youth Risk Behavior survey, which is from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). You should be able to use google search to find this survey. While this specific survey is extensive, it should serve as a good guide to develop your own. Also, check out the website for the Violence Prevention Center, which is located in Colorado. This organization may have a gang related survey.
Check with local resources (such as, Nurses Association, any local Universities and hospitals, etc.). You could also do a web search on "stress reduction techniques" to get more information. You may consider finding a sponsor i.e., a doctor/chiropractor.
This tool is free to the public.
Conducting a needs assessment in your community would be a first step to get this process started. Partnering with existing organizations (Child Care Agencies, Parks or Rec Department, other existing youth related programs, etc.)would be advisable, since they could provide resources that would help with this process. These organizations could also help with seeking funding too. If you have other questions, then please let us know where you are located so we can better direct you.
Please provide more information. We are unable to address your question. We are not sure what you are asking.
I would recommend you getting an English dictionary. This should help you learn the language.
I would suggest you do a focus group instead of a questionnaire. Find a school, home or religious organization who would be willing to host such an event. Don't forget to have refreshments.
Check with the Dr. Stephen Fawcett, at the University of Kansas. The Work Group developed a planning guide and a few questions focused on the leadership and their skills and abilities.
We recommend google scholar to find innovative programs designed for Native American populations.
Check out the KU tool box website. There is a section on gaining entry into a community.
Thanks for your question. I assume that you are asking this because the group is considered a nonprofit organization and you want to ensure that you are within the rules that govern being given this designation. The best way to ensure that you are not engaged in lobbying activities (which is prohibited for 501(c)3 orgs) is to check with the IRS web page to determine the current rules and regulations. As of 4/6/10, any organization can engage in get out the vote campaigns (as well as other things that you have not asked about). The key is to make sure that positions regarding those running or ballot initiatives are not mentioned. See here for more details http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=120703,00.html. These rules do change from time to time, so it's always good to double check before you start doing the work that you are interested in doing. Good luck with your voting drive.
Thanks for your two questions. I'm doing some checking on the first one and will post again once I have more information. As for your second question, of course CTB is the best! That said, when choosing a book, I think it really depends on the style of organizing and the community in which you are organizing, as well as the theory of change being followed. It's all about fit. One book that is somewhat popular in our area is titled, "Consensus Organizing: A Community Development Workbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Community Change Initiatives" by Ohmer and DeMasi. I think people like this one because of the use of Alinsky as a starting point (Alinsky organizing is popular in our region - Central CA - as many subscribe to this theory of change).
Hello there. Can you please provide a little more context regarding your question? More context would enable a better answer. I look forward to hearing back from you.
You've come to the right place! In community psychology, we call this community mapping, and you can map different agencies within your community. You'll want to look here: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/chapter_1003.aspx and specifically, this section might be the most helpful to you: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/TableofContents3.16.aspx Best of luck with your work!
Hello, I would suggest first examining the websites underneath the Databases of Best Practices on the CTB website. These links will help you find agencies or people you can contact to see if they are willing to share their instruments. Good luck!
Hello, Can you explain what is the overall goal for the community garden? That will help me address your question better. Thanks!
Hello, I would suggest using a statistical software (like SPSS) since you are looking at quantitative data. This will allow you to access individual and group responses, as well as provide statistics regarding overall trends for your analyses.
Thanks for your question. Probably lots of community psychologists would have different answers to this question, so I'll share my ideas, which are partly based in what other community psychologists (like Jim Kelly, Anne Mulvey, and Julian Rappaport to name a few) have said. A community psychologist needs to have tolerance for the ambiguous, be humble, be open to new ideas and experiences, be able to persevere (especially when things are ambiguous), and let others (like community members) be in the lead. A community psychologist also needs to be reflective about her/his/hir position in the community and understand power. Also, knowing a lot of different community-based methods is also very helpful. Good luck with making your decision about going into community psychology!
Hello, and thanks for writing to us at Ask an Advisor. Graduates of community psychology programs go into a wide range of different fields, spanning the areas of academia, the non-profit sector, community health and development, community mental health, and beyond. The opportunities available depend in part on what kind of community psychology degree (i.e., BA, MA, PhD) one graduates with. That being said, the breadth of potential job opportunities available after graduation makes community psychology a promising area of study in an unstable economy. If you are thinking about enrolling in a CP program you might want to arrange a meeting with someone from the department to talk about your concerns. Another idea is to talk to community psychologists currently in positions that interest you. You can often set up informational interviews with professionals in your field of interest. This gives you the opportunity to gather information specific to your particular interests and is also a way to network with people in the field. Finally, the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) has a resource page with some information on job opportunities (http://www.scra27.org/), and the Social Psychology Network (http://www.socialpsychology.org/community.htm) has a page devoted to Community Psychology resources. Thank you again for your question. I hope some of this information will be useful to you.
As you note, working with others can be very challenging. I think different people would have different answers to this. For me, the answer has a lot to do with setting up goals and expectations at the beginning of the partnership. What seems to work for me is to have a conversation at the beginning of a partnership where we each discuss our values, goals, and the values and goals of our institutions (if we are representing them). We talk about where the similarities are and where there might be differences. It's also a good idea to talk about how you will handle conflict when it arises. This puts a lot on the table at the beginning and can lead to some really interesting conversations. It also normalizes conflict by pointing out that you know it will happen at some point. Then, when you are having challenges, you can return to this conversation and talk with your partners about what might be inconsistent with your values, or what might be getting in the way of you meeting your goals. Raise this conversation in a way that is consistent with how you agreed to deal with conflict. You can also look here for other ideas: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/dothework/tools_tk_1.aspx I hope this helps and good luck with maintaining your partnership!
Thanks for your question. You have asked fairly specific and technical questions that fall into the public health field. We can only provide general answers about processes that might be relevant. Take a look at the Table of Contents for the competencies checked, and they may be generally helpful. However, we encourage you to explore also the resources presented in "Connect With Others." Some of those may be more directly relevant to your public health focus, and they may be better able to respond to the important questions you are raising.
Hello, Poster presentations and symposium presentations at professional as well at local conferences would be a great way to inform others of your work. www.scra27.org/ provides links to other organizations/potential conferences in various locations where you could present your work. In terms of the web, facebook will allow you to reach a larger audience, but you might also want to develop a website to promote your work. I would also recommend contacting the local papers/TV channels, as well as the local community government to inform them of what you all have accomplished. Best of luck!
Hello, Can you describe what your goal is and how you have tried to combat this problem before? I am not sure I can help unless I have more information.
Unfortunately, CTB does not include a database of expert advisors concerning energy resources. We suggest that you contact key universities involved in energy efficiency technology development. Wish we could be of more help, because you certainly are pursuing an important topic.