Community Coalition Development
The Alliance of Border Collaboratives (ABC) partners with Programa Compañeros AC and other key institutions in Mexico including the National Commission against Addictions (CONADIC) to address the disparity in access to quality substance abuse and violence prevention services in three border communities: Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; Nogales, Sonora; and Tijuana, Baja California.
A coalition is usually defined as a collaborative effort between people organized a community. In the case of the Meico Community Coalition Network (Red de Coaliones Comunitarias de Mexico), the community generally is defined as a neighborhood.
Community Coalition Development
The Alliance of Border Collaboratives (ABC) partners with Programa Compañeros AC and other key institutions in Mexico including the National Commission against Addictions (CONADIC) to address the disparity in access to quality substance abuse and violence prevention services in three border communities: Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua; Nogales, Sonora; and Tijuana, Baja California.
A coalition is usually defined as a collaborative effort between people organized a community. In the case of the Meico Community Coalition Network (Red de Coaliones Comunitarias de Mexico), the community generally is defined as a neighborhood.
Funds from the United States Department of State through the Anti-Narcotic Affairs at the US Embassy in Mexico are used to develop or expand local coalitions that connect multiple sectors including parents, teachers, youth, schools, media, law enforcement, faith community, health providers, social services agencies, and federal, state and local government agencies.
The key aim of this effort is to develop independent coalitions capable of prioritizing, planning and implementing substance abuse prevention strategies to shift community level attitudes, perceptions and norms to reduce drug use.
The Coalitions improve health and safety in participating communities by implementing strategic prevention efforts to reduced substance abuse and violence. By working together the Coalition Members – the residents of the neighborhood – transform their communities with various actions, such as:
- Basic sanitation in public parks
- Promote family entertainment areas free of alcohol and drugs
- Refurbishment of schools
- Promote the collaboration of parents and teachers to reduce school dropout rates
- Training in substance abuse prevention
- Physical Activity for youth at risk to provide healthy alternatives to gang affiliation or drug use
Examples of other contributors:
- National Commission Against Addictions,
- State Councils on Addictions (CECA)
- Municipal Council Against Addictions (COMCA)
- New Life Centers
- National Community Anti-drug Coalition of the Americas, CADCA
- School of Public Health at UT-Houston
- Behavioral Assessment Inc.