WORKING TOGETHER: COLLABORATION & COORDINATION
The national IOM report calls for collaboration and coordination in three major areas:
- coordinating federal agency efforts through an interagency coordinating committee;
- calling on the alcohol industry to join with other private and public partners to establish and fund an independent nonprofit foundation aimed at reducing underage drinking; and
- public and private funders should support community mobilization to reduce underage drinking.
Granite Staters have a good history of working together and leveraging limited resources. To reduce the significant underage alcohol problems impacting our youth, our communities and our state, we must work together at all levels of the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
State Recommendations:
- Utilize the New Hampshire Strategic Prevention Framework grant and other existing state level resources to continue to support the creation and growth of community and regional prevention coalitions, which include in their work and programming reducing underage drinking problems.
- Call on state agencies and other state stakeholders to demonstrate action and leadership in coordinating their efforts and working collaboratively to reduce underage alcohol problems.
- Call on New Hampshire's Governor, the Governor's Spouse, the New Hampshire Legislature, State Agency leaders, and the Governor's Commission to continue to build on the work and commitment shown to date and expand their leadership on underage alcohol problems in our state.
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Community Recommendations:
- Involve youth in meaningful ways with any strategy to reduce underage alcohol problems at the local level, including designing, advocating for, and implementing policy and environmental strategies for change.
- Call on local and regional coalitions and organizations to ensure that all segments of the community have a stake in local activities and actions to reduce underage alcohol problems, including: youth; parents; educators; landlords; business leaders; local alcohol industry partners; prevention, intervention and treatment providers; advocates; law enforcement; and health and human service providers.
- Encourage and support coalitions working to reduce underage alcohol problems to coordinate with other coalitions in their communities and regions to help build a solid network of community-based coalitions focused on prevention and leveraging limited resources through collaborative efforts like joint trainings.
- Provide the resources and training necessary for community groups and coalitions to work with law enforcement to ensure and publicize quality compliance checks.
- Encourage all communities to implement a tip line to report and prevent underage drinking parties. Developing a tip line is a great way for community coalitions, networks of concerned parents, and local law enforcement to work together to keep children, families and communities safe.
- Increase coordination of prevention efforts in higher education through the New Hampshire College and University Council and the Higher Education Task Force, including involving community and/or regional coalition representation in college and university planning.
- Call on representatives of New Hampshire's colleges and universities and their community partners to work closely with local business leaders to obtain pledges from restaurants, bars and other retail establishments to voluntarily refrain from promotional marketing and advertising that encourage or promote binge drinking, including happy hour drink specials. Such cooperation among partners can help to decrease the prevalence of binge drinking as well as related problems including injury, assault, property crime, and compromised student academic performance.
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Resources
Action Kit for Involving Youth in Environmental Prevention Efforts
Action Kit for Community Organizing: Comprehensive Regional Prevention Efforts
Alcohol Epidemiology Program Compliance Check Manual
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
Developing Effective Coalitions: An Eight Step Guide
Helping America's Youth: Community Partnerships
How Do You Involve Youth in a Community Partnership?
New Hampshire Public Health Networks
PACE Project: Reducing the Consequences of High-Risk Drinking
Portland, Oregon Landlord Training Program
Project Monitor
Last Call for High-Risk Bar Promotions That Target College Students
Reducing Underage Drinking Through Coalitions
Youth Leadership Institute
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