All Coalitions Have Issues . . . The National Coalition Institute Can Help

To meet the needs of community anti-drug coalitions, CADCA´s National Coalition Institute encourages the use of technical assistance from Institute staff. No matter what your question is, the Institute is here to assist you. Just starting out? The Institute can help those who are just stepping into the coalition building arena. Even if your coalition has been around for many years it can still find itself needing to move to the next level of effectiveness. Often when we are in the midst of our work we are not able to see the issues with which we are dealing with any sort of objectivity. It is the nature of the work and sometimes we just need to get some help.

Coalition development, maintenance and sustainability is tough work. It can seem, at times, overwhelming. The requirements of the leadership and membership of coalitions across the United States and around the world are significant and their tasks are never ending. The National Coalition Institute at CADCA was established in 2002 to serve as a center for coalition training, technical assistance, research and capacity building. The overall aim of the Institute is to increase the percentage of effective community anti-drug coalitions. Simply said, our job is to help those who are working tirelessly to strengthen their communities in the fight to impact and end substance use and abuse across this great nation and around the world.

In an effort to help increase the effectiveness of community coalitions, the Institute provides education, training and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community members. We also develop and disseminate evaluation tools, mechanisms and measures to better assess and document coalition performance. In addition, the Institute works to bridge the gap between research and practice by translating knowledge from research into practical information that can be used in communities by coalitions.

If you need assistance with your coalition work, we encourage you to seek help from the National Coalition Institute. Just call or email our Technical Assistance Manager, Shannon Weatherly, at 800-54-CADCA, ext. 240 or sweatherly@cadca.org. The Institute staff works diligently to remain up-to-date on the latest information that coalitions need to impact their communities. The staff at the Institute has all had direct coalition experience and understands the challenges that coalitions face. On behalf of your community, the National Coalition Institute thanks you for all your hard work.