What is Communities That Care?
___Your community focuses on one or more of the five youth problem behaviors:
- Substance use
- Delinquency
- Teen pregnancy
- School drop-out
- Violence
___You attend to all four domains in which risk factors occur:
- Individual/peer
- Family
- School
- Community
___You encourage the three protective factors:
- Individual characteristics
- Bonding
- Healthy beliefs and clear standards
Why would you want (and not want) to adopt the Communities That Care approach?
You use CTC because
___CTC is grounded in theory and practice.
___CTC is inclusive and participatory.
___CTC takes a community perspective.
___CTC involves training at every step.
___CTC provides a menu of best practices to choose from.
___CTC is adapted to the needs of each community.
___CTC includes evaluation and adjustment as an integral part of any effort.
___CTC seems to work for most problem behaviors.
You see disadvantages to CTC in that:
___The CTC approach is only inclusive and participatory for certain people.
___CTC allows the choice of only a finite number of approaches.
___Choosing from among best practices may encourage communities merely to follow directions, rather than throwing heart and soul into the effort.
___CTC is narrowly focused on youth and specific behaviors.
___CTC is, to a certain extent, based on assumptions.
___CTC has a service to sell.
Who should be involved in Communities That Care?
You strive to involve:
___Those most directly affected by the problem behavior(s).
___Those indirectly affected by the problem behavior(s).
___Those who deal with the consequences of the problem behaviors in the community.
___Concerned citizens.
___The media.
How do you employ the Communities That Care approach?
___You gauge the awareness of the community.
___You provide community education about the problem behaviors.
___You mobilize the community, starting with key leaders (or a more inclusive group) and a community board.
___You conduct an assessment of community needs and resources.
___You create a strategic plan for the initiative, choosing from among best practices in the areas of family, school, and community.
___You implement your plan.
___You evaluate the process and outcomes of your intervention, and adjust it accordingly.
___You maintain your gains, and continue your efforts over time.