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Prevention of Problem Gambling
December 1998, Vol I, Issue 8

*A Monthly Newsletter on Problem Gambling Prevention Information, Research, and Initiatives*

"No progress has ever been made against an epidemic by treating only the casualties."

PREVENTION STRATEGIES CONTINUED: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

We will continue our exploration of prevention strategies by focusing on community development, capacity building, and institutional change. These strategies are all high impact strategies. This means there is a greater likelihood of affecting behavioral change using these strategies than the other strategies we have previously discussed in these editions. In this edition we will focus on the first aspect of these strategies -- community development.

The use of this strategy begins the process of the transfer of ownership for the problem and the solution to the problem from the preventionist/community organizer to the members of a community. One might envision a pebble dropped into the water. Like the ripples that spread from the pebble, so too spreads the capacity for change emanating from programs utilizing this strategy.

Community Development

This refers to efforts that help to bring members of a community together to address issues that are important to them. Community development strategies have at their core a number of beliefs including:

Communities already know what the problem is
Communities already have a good idea as to what the solutions to the problem are
Communities most often have most, if not all, of the resources that they need to put those ideas into action

Community development and mobilization is a long-term process which builds on the commitment of the community for positive change. Some of the steps involved in the process include:

Identifying key local leaders (formal and informal)
Community assets inventories
Recruiting and organizing volunteers
TarGetting issues and setting priorities
TarGetting supporters and opponents
Engaging in a planning process

In this way, a community mobilizes its resources to plan, monitor, and deliver comprehensive prevention programming.