While relationships generally are key to advancing innovative child development and prevention initiatives, developing and strengthening relationships with people who have access and influence in your local community or state is particularly helpful in navigating the world of regulations and financing for public programs. This prong focuses on developing a group of well-connected citizens and professionals who are knowledgeable, share your goals, and have political clout.
The Action Team is a small leadership group with particular and essential attributes for advancing your policy goal of sustainability; it will usually be nested within a larger collaboration committed to children and youth issues.
What will the Action Team do?
The primary purpose of an Action Team is to:
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for determining which relationships will enable you to advance your initiative. All strategies must be adjusted to your unique set of circumstances, including the breadth and depth of current relationships with coalitions and partnerships that work on like minded issues, school-community alliances and your community’s and state’s decision-making processes.
Updated June 2015