Step
3: Identify Potential Partners
and Sponsors
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2 | Getting
Started | step
4 >
When considering
implementing Can We Talk?, find out what kind of support
you have from workplace colleagues, school personnel, and youth-
and parent-serving community groups. We strongly recommend that
you spend some time identifying potential partners — people
who would be willing to help support parent education programming.
It has been our experience that Can We Talk? launches
are most successful when they are supported by multiple partners
in the community.
Use this suggested
checklist to begin to identify partners. You may think of different
organizations to contact, or some of these might not be appropriate
or relevant for your community. The Can
We Talk? Coordinator’s Guide and the Can
We Talk? Planning and Training Manual have more information
to help you identify potential partners and form successful collaborations.
Make a list
of representatives from the following organizations:
School District
Central Office (Health or Curriculum office)
School site PTA or Parent Organization
School site Principal
School site Educators
School site nurse or counselor
Public Health Dept (Offices of STD and HIV prevention)
HIV Community Planning Group
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Organization/Family Planning Agency
Coalition on teen pregnancy prevention
Coalition on drug abuse prevention
Coalition on violence prevention
Community Services Board or School Health Advisory Board
Juvenile Justice
Business Sector (10 largest businesses in region. Human Resources Dept.)
Religious Organizations
Labor Unions
NEA local affiliates
Contact every
potential partner on your list and send them Can We Talk? promotional
literature and materials for their review. Then ask each person
on your list the following questions:
1. Are you
interested in supporting workshops for parents that help families
talk about self-esteem, sex and peer pressure?
2. Do you have
staff who could devote time to promoting and/or facilitating
parent workshops? How many hours each week? What are the skills
of your staff?
3. Do you have
resources to help support the parent workshops by providing child
care, food, or photocopying? What specifically is your organization
able to provide?
4. Would you
be interested in co-sponsoring a Can We Talk? Training
of Trainers Institute? In what way(s) can you help – funding,
hosting, staff time, resources?
5. How many
parents would you like to put through workshops in a year? Set
a realistic goal for the number of parents you want to reach
(# workshop series x 10-15 parents per series).
Note:
If you receive negative feedback or “no” responses
to these questions, your community might not be ready to
sustain a Can We Talk? program. Contact NEA HIN for
assistance in how you can help motivate your community. We
can also put you in contact with other communities currently
using Can We Talk?